Fiery Spirit
by DeYi
Summary: Valerie Hudson is the rebellious daughter of Jack Hudson (descendants of explorer Henry Hudson), a soldier posted in Qatar. When her best friend Sam becomes wanted by giant robots, she gets pulled into the world of Autobots and Decepticons and finds out more about her family than she bargained for. OP x OC
1. Chapter 1

"So how did it go?" Valerie asked Sam the second he walked out of the classroom. He had been fretting about a giant presentation for weeks and had been super chatty in the car on the way to school (a sign that he was nervous) because he was presenting. Valerie was glad that she was in the Advanced Placement (AP) classes in high school; the presentation had sounded like a bore.

He shrugged and showed her a paper, looking upset. She didn't even have to look at it to tell that he was faking. "Congrats!" Valerie squealed, jumping up and down and clapping. "You got the car!" She knew of the deal with his dad saying that if he paid for half the car and got three A's in a row, Sam would get a car. Sam had the money (a lot of it was a super-early birthday present from Valerie) and two A's. This last presentation was his third.

For a second, he looked surprised that she had known that he was acting, then he remembered. She was the super-intelligent kick-ass Valerie Hudson (descendant of Henry Hudson). Even though Sam's great-grandfather had been a _significantly less important_ explorer than her ancestor, they were both proud of their families. That was how they became friends when Valerie had first moved to town when they were both in sixth grade. They had stuck together ever since, even though her circle of friends was clearly bigger. As far as she knew, he was friends with an annoying kid named Miles and that was it.

"Hey, how about you come with us to buy the car?" Sam suggested as they started walking out of the building. "Or do you have stuff to do?" Valerie saw his dad's car out of one of the windows, and she assumed that he and his dad were going right after school, or else Sam would have walked home.

Valerie shook her head. "Sorry, I can't," she said. "I promised Mikaela that I'd go to that party by the lake after school. Trent's driving both of us." She started walking backwards, pointing behind her to Mikaela and her jerk of a boyfriend named Trent by a black truck. "See ya back at your house, I guess..."

Sam nodded, a little disappointed (Valerie was his best friend, after all), and walked towards Mr. Witwicky's car alone. Valerie turned around and headed over towards Trent and Mikaela. Once again, Mikaela was trying to convince Trent to let her drive.

"See, I don't want you messing up the wheels," she heard Trent saying.

Valerie rolled her eyes as she walked up to them, jumping in the truck bed. "Shut up, Trent," she snapped. "If you want a good driver, you're looking right at her."

Trent narrowed his eyes. "I don't seem to remember agreeing to carpool with you," he told her.

Again, she rolled her eyes as she got comfy in her seat. "It's a surprise you remember your own name," Valerie said earnestly, her eyes wide with innocence. Mikaela smiled.

"I'm trying to tell you to get out of my car," he snarled. " _Bitch_."

Raising her eyebrows, Valerie sat up. "Did you seriously just call me a bitch?" she demanded. She didn't let her anger show, but she was ready to beat Trent to a pulp right then. Jumping out of the truck, she stood in front of him. "You're so going to regret that." Valerie was glad that she was only a few inches shorter than Trent's height- it was hard to intimidate someone if you were the size of a pixie. Standing at 5'8", Valerie was probably one of the tallest girls in the school. For a second, it looked like Trent was scared.

Then he shook it off. "I'm not going to fight with some _girl_ ," he said. "I wouldn't want to mess up that pretty face."

Valerie sneered. "Two things, _Trent_ ," she snapped. She swung out with her fist and hit him in the eye. "One; _never ever_ go from being a jerk to trying to flirt with a girl. It never works." Trent was just recovering when she kicked him in his jewels. He groaned as he fell to the ground, and she smirked. "Two; loose the sexism. 'Cause- reality check! You just got beaten up by a girl!

"Ms. Hudson!" someone shouted. Valerie turned to see the principal storming up, looking extremely angry. The few spectators that her fight had earned backed off, not wanting to get in trouble. "How many times do I have to talk to you about not fighting?"

Shrugging, Valerie answered, "I don't know. Apparently you haven't talked to me enough, because I'm fighting again. But really, it's not my fault. You should talk to him." Valerie pointed at Trent. "He started it."

The principal was not amused.

"Office," he ordered. "Now."

She obeyed. "You know, I don't see why I'm getting in trouble. A girl has to protect herself," she told him as she walked to the school. "Sorry, Mikaela! Apparently I can't go to the party today!"

Once Valerie entered the office, the principal shut the door behind her. "You're not in trouble, Ms. Hudson," he told her the second he was sure that they were alone.

Her jaw dropped. "Well, that's a first," Valerie observed.

"Don't push it," he said. "I'm not punishing you because..." He trailed off and looked out the window. Valerie bit her tongue to stop any impatient questions. "Your father is missing."

Valerie nodded; honestly, she had been expecting it. She hadn't had word from him in months- he was in the army, posted in Qatar. Her tears had already come. It was just a finalization of what she had already accepted.

"The rest of the base was destroyed, but the government couldn't find his remains," the principal continued. "Or any others, for that matter. Has your dad possibly told you about Captain William Lennox?" Valerie nodded. "He's missing, too."

Disbelief hit her. "Uncle Will..." Valerie whispered. She hadn't been expecting that. Uncle Will was the best of the best- if he had gone missing, Valerie knew that something bad had happened. "Why are you telling me this?"

"The school was called by General Morshower, the Joint Chief of Staffs," he answered. "I decided to tell you, as I'm the principal... This must be a big shock for you. Do you want anything to drink? I have Earl Grey tea..."

Valerie snorted, reminded of Captain Picard from Star Trek, one of the many sci-fi series that her dad had gotten her interested in. Then the humor was lost to her. Her dad... She might never see him again. He could be dead, for all she knew. Uncle Will, too.

Her mind was thrown back to the day- about half a year ago- that her dad had left. They had been sitting with Uncle Will and his pregnant wife, Aunt Sarah, in the Hudson's house, which was right across from Sam's. Dad and Uncle Will had broken the news to the girls after dinner. Valerie had asked if she would see them again.

"Definitely," Dad had said automatically.

"You bet, kiddo," Uncle Will agreed, ruffling the red, blue, and pink streaks in her black hair. "It'll only be for a few months- then we'll be back for a good long while."

Valerie frowned. "Do you promise?" she pressed.

They shared a glance with each other then turned back to her, nodding. "We promise," they said together. The next day, they were gone. Valerie started living with Sam's family in the guest room that was across from Sam's. Mr. and Mrs. Witwicky had reassured her that they didn't mind her living with them while her dad was in Qatar, for however long that was going to be...

"They promised," Valerie whispered. "They promised..." And she started sobbing. She couldn't lose her dad like she had lost her mom. Her mom had been killed in a shooting when they were on a vacation. Valerie had watched the whole thing, watched how a spot of blood grew on her white shirt and grew larger as she grew paler... then her dad had yanked her away, running away, running away from the danger...

The principal put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry," he said. "I'm sure they'll come back." That just made her cry harder, and soon Valerie Hudson, badass of the school, was having a breakdown in the principal's office. The next thing Valerie was aware of, Mrs. Witwicky soothing her as she guided her into the car. They then drove home, and Valerie retreated to her room, where she stayed, not letting anyone in.


	2. Chapter 2

The Witwickys were all concerned about Valerie.

When Sam had gotten back from driving Mikaela home from the lake party, he hadn't expected to see the house in a grim mood and Valerie locked in her room. He had seen Trent at the party and knew immediately that it was her work, so he assumed that she wasn't at the party because she was with the principal.

Then Sam's parents had told him what had happened. How Jack Hudson might not come home.

"Valerie, it's me, Sam," Sam said for the thousandth time as he knocked on her door. He had been at this all of yesterday and ever since he had woken up today, and he was sitting with his back to her door now. "It's not going to do any good if you starve yourself." She didn't reply. "Please come out." Sam chuckled after a short pause. "You're never going to guess who I drove back from the lake party two days ago." She didn't bite on the bait.

Sam let out a sigh. "We're coming in eventually, whether you like it or not," he told her. He laughed quietly again. "I bet you'd love to see me try to climb into your window and fall out when I got to the top, right?" Again, no reply. Sam glanced at the clock- it was around dinnertime. His mom was making lasagna (Valerie's favorite), and Judy would kill him if he didn't eat any. Maybe he could bring some food and leave it in front of Valerie's door. Maybe that would get her to open it. "I'm going to get dinner. Mom made _lasagna_. Are you still not coming out? Even for the world-famous Witwicky lasagna?" She still didn't open the door. "Ok, then. See ya later."

When Sam entered the kitchen, his parents looked up hopefully. Sam shook his head, knowing what they were looking for, and they turned back to their lasagna in silence. After he had eaten a few platefuls, Sam grabbed another plate and piled the leftovers on it. He headed back to his spot in front of Valerie's door.

"C'mon, Val, I have some lasagna for you," Sam bribed. "I can't give it to you if you don't open the door. You don't want to starve, right?" She didn't reply, but he heard the sound of her hitting the punching bags that she had in her room (She was into tae kwon do and karate and tai chi and that stuff. Sam didn't know the difference). "You're going to be hungry if you wear yourself out like that."

Suddenly, the door was wrenched open, and Valerie was standing in front of him. She was in work out clothes (a tank top and short shorts), and her multicolored black hair was pulled into a ponytail. Her hands were in boxing gloves, and sweat was pouring down her face. "What?" she demanded.

"I come in peace, alien," Sam joked, holding up his hands in surrender. She didn't even crack a smile. "I have your dinner. You haven't been eating recently."

She turned away, but she didn't close the door behind her. He took that as an invitation to enter, so he walked in and placed the plate of lasagna on top of her neat computer desk. Everything about her room was neat, which was a surprise; she must have cleaned up when she was in here. One small corner of her room was filled with bookshelves overflowing with a mix of novels, survival guides, and how-to manuals. Another corner (which was significantly bigger) was filled with punching bags and other karate (or whatever type of fighting she was learning now) materials. The third corner had her desk (which her schoolbag was dumped on top of) and the fourth had her bed.

"Mom and Dad have been worried," Sam told her.

Valerie didn't reply but started attacking the punching bags again. He winced as she landed some pretty hard kicks, feeling bad for the punching bag. "Sorry," she said between kicks.

"You don't mean that," he replied.

She nodded. "I really don't," she agreed. After knocking the punching bag off of the hook, she walked towards the desk and sat down, eating the lasagna.

"I hope your dad comes back," he told her.

Valerie let out a sigh. "So do I, Sam," she said. "So do I."

For the next few days, Sam stayed with Valerie in her room. They didn't talk much, but his presence comforted her. Sam knew her better than anyone else, knew that she needed to overcome the weight of the grief herself. He was just there, going down to the kitchen and getting food for meals and bringing it back up for both of them to eat on her bed. He had even dragged in a sleeping bag so that he would always be by her side. Valerie had never been more grateful to anybody in her life.

Both of them had been given days off from school. Miles dutifully brought both of their homework to them every day after school. Valerie's package was more often than not filled with cards from her friends wondering when she would get back to school. But she just shoved them in her garbage can and started working on her homework.

They had missed three days of school when the action started.

It was sometime during the night. Sam had drifted off to sleep already, but Valerie was restless, her thoughts on her father. She felt herself growing stronger and pushing away the grief, but it wasn't like her mother. Valerie was sure her mother was dead. But her father was just missing in action. She couldn't give up hope when there was that tiny sliver of hope that she had left. After a few more minutes, it seemed like she would finally fall asleep.

Then, suddenly, Valerie felt a tug in her gut in the direction of the Witwicky's garage. She sat up in bed and looked out the window, watching as Sam's new Camaro drove slowly out, headlights off. As it moved, the pull in her gut moved with it, almost like the arrow in a compass. She watched as it drove out of the driveway and started off down the street. Was someone stealing it? She leaned over and shook Sam. "Sam!" she hissed, wondering why she had felt the car's presence like she had before.

He groaned. "Five more minutes," he pleaded.

"Samuel Witwicky, your car is being stolen!" Valerie snapped. "We need to go get it back!"

That woke him up.

Valerie grabbed her skateboard as Sam dug up his bike from the garage. They headed out, chasing after the car while Sam shouted into his phone while talking to the police. She wondered why it was going where it was when it pulled into what appeared to be a junkyard. "Hey, Sam?" she said.

"Yeah?" he asked.

She turned to look at him. "Why did you have to buy yourself a car that was going to get stolen?"

He rolled his eyes and sped up, causing her to start to struggle to keep up. Why hadn't she used Mrs. Witwicky's bike instead? She pushed off harder and used a nearby half-pipe to get some more speed. Soon she had caught up to Sam.

They slipped through a few open gates, and Valerie was pretty sure they weren't allowed to be there. But she kept following Sam and his car, which hadn't shown any signs of stopping. It was a shame; Valerie was actually staring to feel bored. Extremely bored.

Then the car sped up, and Sam was about to speed up to follow it when there was a beeping sound. Valerie turned to see that a train was coming, and she pulled Sam to a stop before they could get hit. When the train passed, Sam and Valerie started out again, but the car had lost both Sam and her. She had lost sight of Sam, too- he had tried to speed up and follow his car. She slowed and moved forward at a slow pace, keeping her eyes peeled for any sign of Sam, the car, or the thief, as well as any other tugs in her gut. Valerie assumed that she was somehow able to sense the location of Sam's car, even though she didn't know why. At that moment, she didn't care. She would wonder whether or not her brain was messed up afterwards. She suddenly felt a light tug coming from her right. Without hesitation, Valerie turned right and headed in that direction. As she did, the tug got stronger and stronger. Valerie assumed that it had something to do with her proximity to the car. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her wrist. Without thinking, Valerie placed her free hand on top of his own and twisted her grabbed hand around her attacker's so that she was now grabbing him. The second hand that she had placed on slid up so that she now was in a perfect position to break his arm.

"Relax, Val!" Sam exclaimed. "Get down, get down!"

She crouched down next to him behind a junked car. Sam pointed wordlessly at the giant figure now standing in the middle of the junkyard. It was letting out a giant light that was being broadcasted into the sky. Valerie was about to let out a curse when Sam's hand went onto her mouth, preventing her from saying anything that would draw its attention.

Valerie bit on his finger, causing him to draw his hand back with that a hiss. "What the hell is that?" she demanded. She stood up for a better view. The figure was maybe around twenty feet tall and looked humanoid. However, it was made totally of metal.

Sam yanked her back down. "Be quiet for a second!" he hissed. "And don't go popping your head up and drawing its attention to us!"

"I bet it can't even hear us!" Valerie protested. She jumped up. "Hey, gear-head!" she shouted loudly, waving her hands in the air.

Sam pulled her down again as the tall figure turned to them. For a brief second, they could both see its bright blue eyes. Then it turned back to the sky. It started talking, sounding a bit garbled, and kept shining the light. Valerie observed it carefully.

Meanwhile, Sam was recording his farewell speech on his phone. "My name is Sam Witwicky," he said. "Whoever finds this, my car is alive, okay?" Sam jumped up quickly and showed the camera the giant robot. Valerie rolled her eyes and kept trying to make some sense out of the robot thingy, doubting that it was Sam's car.

While Sam kept talking to his phone- something about a magazine and Miles- Valerie saw the figure shrink and shrink and fold in upon itself. Soon it was in the shape of... Sam's car?

Valerie Hudson was officially having the weirdest day of her life.

Suddenly, the two guard dogs started barking. Valerie cursed and grabbed Sam's hand, pulling him with her as she ran. The dogs started barking and hurrying after them. For a second, they paused, and Valerie saw that they were on the end of their chains. Then the dogs gave a mighty pull, and the chains were yanked clean out of the block of cement that they were connected to.

"Crap!" Valerie exclaimed. "Run, Sam!" She pushed him ahead of her as she scanned the junkyard desperately. Finally, she saw what she wanted- a metal rod. She picked it up and stopped, turning around to face the dogs. "Do doggies want to fetch?" she asked hopefully, waving the stick in their faces.

The dogs stopped and cocked their heads at her. Valerie tossed the stick as far away as she could. "Fetch!" she shouted. The dog's eyes followed the stick for a few seconds, but then they turned back to her.

Suddenly, she felt another tug, and, sure enough, Sam's car sped by, racing past her in the direction Sam had taken. Valerie could hardly see the car because it was a blur, but she realized one thing- there wasn't a driver in the car.

There was more barking from Sam's direction, so Valerie assumed that he had run into more dogs. She didn't know what the car was going to do, but she couldn't follow it- she had two dogs of her own to deal with.

Valerie sat down on the ground, cross legged. She patted the ground to her right, well aware that the dogs were staring at her. After a moment's hesitation, the dogs came forward and sat where she had gestured. Valerie smiled and reached out, scratching them behind their ears, causing them to wag their tails.

"You're not scary at all, are you?" she asked them affectionately. "You're just little puppies, really." It looked like they would purr if they were cats. Then, suddenly, they jumped up and started growling at something in a nearby pile of junk. Valerie stood up, immediately on alert. "Who's there?" she called, stepping forward slowly.

"Who's there?" she repeated. Nobody responded, and Valerie wondered what the dogs were growling at. She was now right in front of the junk pile. Unexpectedly, she felt a tug from the center of the junk pile. Was there another car-turned-robot in the pile of stuff? Valerie started digging through the pile and paused when she saw a small piece of metal. The second she saw it, she knew that the piece of metal was the thing that was pulling her towards it. She reached out and touched it.

Suddenly, a light expanded from the metal, surrounding Valerie like a cocoon. She gasped as she felt a sudden warmth expand from her heart and cover the rest of her body. Something about that metal called to her, made it irresistible...

Then the light died, and Valerie noticed that the dogs had run off. Then she heard sirens. Valerie snuck off towards the sirens with the piece of metal in her pocket, keeping hidden and watching what happened. She saw as Sam walked out of a building with a domed roof with his hands over his head. She rolled her eyes as he was taken away by the cops but instantly felt bad. She frowned; was Sam okay? She knew that he had called the police to their location, and if they didn't see a driver in the car, would they think that Sam had stolen the car? Had Sam been technically arrested? Was he going to get a criminal record while still in high school? Valerie didn't even want to think about it.

Long story short, even though she was a bit of a badass and loyal to her friends, Valerie didn't want to go to jail.

As soon as the cops had left with Sam, Valerie took off after them on her skateboard. She was lost in thought, so she didn't see the rock in the middle of the sidewalk before it was too late.

She ran straight into it, and because she was going rather fast, she flipped up into the air and landed on the grass of the yard that she had been riding by. "Ugh..." she groaned, sitting up and rubbing her head. She looked around and saw her skateboard by the rock. When she picked it up, one of the wheels fell off. A quick glance at it told Valerie that she couldn't fix it because the wheel had cracked in half.

"Great ending to a perfect day," she muttered. Now she would have to walk all the way to the police station, which was probably about a good mile away. She put her hands in her pockets grumpily, and her hand closed around the piece of metal. Suddenly, she felt warmth in her hand, and she pulled it out of her pocket, the metal in her grasp. When she opened her hand, she saw that a perfect skateboard wheel was in her hand instead of the piece of metal. "What the hell?"

Even though she was confused, Valerie wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth. She screwed the new wheel onto her skateboard and started off again at a rapid pace.

After a long time, Valerie was almost dead of exhaustion and arrived at the police station. She didn't see the Witwicky family's car, so she assumed that Sam's parents hadn't been notified yet. Valerie took a few minutes to catch her breath from the long skateboard ride, and after a few more minutes, Mr. and Mrs. Witwicky pulled up into the police station parking lot.

"Mr. Witwicky!" Valerie called, running up to them. "Mrs. Witwicky!"

They looked surprised to see her. "Valerie! Where were you?" Mrs. Witwicky asked, giving her a tight hug.

"I went on a midnight skateboard ride and didn't realize how long I had been out until I started getting tired," Valerie lied, not wanting to advertise the fact that she had been with Sam in the junkyard. "I was just passing by the police station when I saw you guys. What's up? Where's Sam?"

Mr. and Mrs. Witwicky shared a look. "He's been accused of stealing a car," Mr. Witwicky told her, shaking his head. "It's his car, for God's sake! And he was the one who called it in..."

The three of them entered the police station together. Sam was sitting in the deputy's seat and eyeing the deputy (who was sitting on the desk and facing Sam) speculatively. "What's this, then?" she heard him asking, waving a bottle of pills in Sam's face. "Mojo? Is that what kids do now- a little bit of Mojo?" Valerie started laughing loudly, which turned the deputy's attention to her. "And who are you?" he said, eyeing her hair distastefully.

"His best friend," Valerie answered. "And, btw, 'Mojo' is our dog."

Mr. Witwicky nodded. "You know, a little Chihuahua," he agreed, holding out his hands out to show the deputy about how long Mojo was.

The deputy turned from the two of them back to Sam, who had been eyeing the deputy's gun. "You eyeballing my piece, 50 cent?" the deputy demanded.

"Please," Valerie said in an impatient tone before he could continue. "If anyone would do that, that would be me. And I would be shooting your dick."

Sam snorted in laughter as the deputy turned to Valerie. "You want to go?" he snapped in the same tone he had addressed Sam in. "Make something happen. Do it. 'Cause I promise you, I will bust you up."

"Are you on drugs?" Sam asked speculatively.


	3. Chapter 3

The next day, Sam and Valerie slept in. They had had a tiring night, and when they had gotten home, they had crashed immediately, not even talking about Sam's giant robot/ car, the strange piece of metal that was now Valerie's skateboard wheel, or her sudden ability to sense certain metals. Valerie even told Sam to go sleep in his own room, since she had finally grown strong enough to hold up the weight of her father's disappearance herself.

Valerie woke up first. She glanced at the clock and saw that it was around noon. Noon? Why did she think that she had to be somewhere?

"Crap!" Valerie exclaimed. "I promised Mikaela I would meet her and some of her other friends at that restaurant on the corner!" She jumped out of bed and started getting changing and freshening up. Soon she was ready, and she ran downstairs to grab her skateboard. She left the house, leaving a note for Sam, and rode to the restaurant.

Sam woke up a few minutes after Valerie had left. He got out of bed, and, still yawning, went downstairs to get some breakfast. Or was it lunch? He didn't care- like any normal teenage boy, he was hungry.

The last thing he expected was to see his car parked in his driveway.

Hadn't the thing gotten all that stuff out of its system last night?

He changed quickly and jumped on his mom's bike, pedaling away from the house as fast as he could. The car followed him, and he biked by Miles, who was walking on the sidewalk by his house. "Sam?" he called. "What the hell, bro?"

"My car is stalking me!" Sam shouted back to him as he sped up. "It's Satan's Camaro!" The car moved at the same speed as him.

Meanwhile, Valerie was laughing her head off with Mikaela and a whole bunch of other girls, drawing attention to their table. She was in a middle of a story when her laughter stopped and her eyes widened, focused on a spot over Mikalea's shoulder.

"What?" Mikaela asked. "Val, what's wrong?"

Well, if seeing your best friend (who was basically your brother) riding on a pink bike with tassels while shouting at a beaten up Camaro without a driver wasn't considered _wrong_ , Valerie didn't know what _wrong_ meant.

Sam rode by their table (they were sitting outside), turned around and shouted at the car again. As he did, he rode over a root, causing the bike to flip and for him to land on his backside. Valerie grimaced, remembering her similar accident last night.

Mikaela stared. "Sam?" she said. "Are... are you okay?"

He groaned as he sat up. "I'm not okay, alright?" he snapped. Then he saw the car again, and his eyes widened. "I'm loosing my mind a bit. I'm getting chased by my car right now. Gotta go." And he grabbed the bike and rode off again, faster than before.

Valerie rolled her eyes, standing up and grabbing her skateboard. "I'd better go see if he's okay," she announced, not even noticing that she was still holding her fork and knife (she had been cutting her chicken when Sam had flipped).

"Me, too," Mikaela said, standing up as well. "See you guys." Mikaela went over to her motorcycle and started it. The two girls sped off after Sam.

Soon Valerie heard some shouting when they neared a parking lot under a skyway. She felt another tug in her gut, alerting her that something (maybe Sam's Camaro) was with him. But who was he arguing with? Suddenly, Sam came turning the corner, running as fast as he could. When he saw them, his eyes widened. "Go back!" he shouted to them. "Turn back around!" Valerie slowed to a stop, knowing that Sam had a good reason to be half-insane with fear, but Mikaela kept riding.

"Sam?" she asked. "What's your problem?" Then Sam (very unromantically) stuck his arm out and pulled her off of her bike as she passed him. The bike kept moving but soon fell and skidded into a wall. Then, suddenly, a giant robot like the one that Valerie and Sam had seen last night came running around the corner, looking murderous. Valerie instantly knew that it was the thing that she had felt with Sam.

Valerie's eyes widened. "Oh crap!" she shouted. She looked at the fork and knife that she hadn't realized were in her hands until then and wondered how good her throwing skills would be after not practicing for a while; she had worked with shurikens (ninja throwing-stars) a few months back, but those were shurikens. She readied the hand with the knife anyway, aiming for the center of the chest where she hoped the heart was. Another tug came from a different direction (behind her), and she knew that reinforcements were coming- for the robot, probably.

Before she could throw the knife, she heard the sound of an engine behind her and assumed that that was the car that she had felt. "Get in!" she heard Sam shout, and she heard Mikaela slide in without hesitation. "Valerie! Get in!"

"You first!" she ordered, tightening her grasp on her knife. Sam slid in, and once she was sure that they were both safe, she slid into the car, noticing that it was Sam's Camaro. The second she slammed the door to the backseat, the car took off and sped away. Valerie turned around and looked behind them. The police car/ robot had turned into a police car and was hurrying after them. "Move it, car robot thingy!" Valerie shouted, slapping the seat. "Hurry, hurry, it's chasing us!"

The car sped up, as if it understood her, and Valerie let out a shout as she was forced backwards by the speed that the old Camaro was putting up.

After a little bit, they lost the police car. However, the Camaro didn't stop and kept driving, but not at such a fast pace. None of the teens inside the car said anything, instead retreating into their own thoughts. Valerie played with the knife she had stolen from the restaurant, wondering what the hell had happened to her life.

Soon it was dark, and they pulled into what looked like an electric plant. The Camaro eased into an empty spot, turning all of its headlights off. "What's going on?" Mikaela asked loudly.

Valerie leaned forward and slapped her hands on Sam and Mikaela's mouths. "Shut up," she hissed. "We don't want anyone knowing we're here." They nodded, and Valerie slowly withdrew her hands from their mouths. Before they could react, they saw the police car drive into the plant. Valerie tightened her grip on the knife in her hand.

The Camaro slowly backed away, trying to move away without the police car noticing them. However, that small amount of movement caused the police car to turn towards them, and Valerie's heart tightened as the Camaro sped off, forgetting all stealth. The police car followed.

Soon the Camaro opened its doors, pushing the three teens out of the car. As soon as they were out, the car rolled forward and shifted into its robot form. The police car did the same, and the two giant robots started fighting. The teens stared on, mouths ajar.

Valerie gathered her wits first. "We need to get out of here!" she said, grabbing their wrists and pulling them away from the two fighting robots. They followed her, and the three of them ran as fast as they could.

However, a small robotic figure launched itself out of the air at them at the same time Valerie felt it, apparently not big enough for Valerie to sense it from a far distance. Valerie threw her knife at it, but it missed and flew past it. She let out a curse as it landed on Sam and started scratching at his face, screeching as it did.

"Mikaela! Heads up!" Valerie shouted. As Mikaela looked up, Valerie tossed the fork at Mikaela, who was closer to Sam than Valerie. Mikaela tossed it and stabbed the small robotic figure, causing the head to fall off. It rolled down the hill, where Mikaela had dropped her purse.

Valerie walked and picked up her knife, wanting to feel protected against any other robots that tried to kill her or her friends. Suddenly, she heard a shout, and she turned to see the Camaro pinned under the police car. Without hesitation, Valerie flung her knife at the police car's eye, causing it to howl in pain. Using that as a distraction, the Camaro flipped the police car over and knocked it out.

The Camaro nodded to her, and she nodded back. It turned back into a car and opened the door to the backseat. Valerie slid in after pulling her knife out of the police car, and as she closed the door, the Camaro drove back to Mikaela and Sam. The car opened the front doors, and Sam and Mikalea hesitated.

"C'mon, you wimps!" Valerie shouted at them from inside.

Sam and Mikaela glanced at each other. "Fifty years from now, when you're looking back at your life, don't you want to say you had the guts to get in the car?" Sam said. And with that, they slid in.

They were driving for a few minutes when Valerie broke the silence. "Can you talk?" she asked, addressing the car.

" _XM Satellite Radio... digital cable brings you... Columbia Broadcasting System_ ," the radio squawked, causing the three of them to jump in surprise.

Sam nodded. "So... You talk through the radio?"

The Camaro let out a cheer. " _Thank you, you're beautiful. You're wonderful, you're wonderful._ "

Valerie spoke up again. "So what the hell was that about last night?" she demanded. "You led us to a junkyard, where Sam just happened to get arrested and we both got attacked by guard dogs. What did we go through all that trouble for?"

" _Message from Starfleet, Captain... throughout the inanimate vastness of space... angels will rain down like visitors from heaven... hallelujah!_ " the Camaro answered.

Mikaela cocked her head. "So, are you, like aliens or something?" she stated. The Camaro let out a beep, which Valerie assumed was an affirmative. "Cool..." In reality, she sounded a bit freaked out.

"So where are you taking us?" Valerie asked. The car didn't answer, and she slapped the seat in response. "God, this piece of crap Camaro is an _asshole_."

The effect was immediate. The Camaro slammed on the brakes (and they were in the middle of a tunnel, so it blocked a whole lane of traffic) and opened the doors, kicking them out. The second they were all out, the car sped off.

"Move it, you moron!" a driver shouted.

Valerie gave him the middle finger. "Keep your fucking nose out of other people's businesses, you jerk!" she snapped, and the three of them walked to the side of the tunnel.

"Great, Val," Sam groaned. "You pissed it off. That car's sensitive. Four hundred dollars just... drove off."

Then a new, shiny, 2007 Camaro drove up, opening its doors when it was in front of them. "Wow," Sam said, disbelief apparent in his voice.

Valerie rolled her eyes and slid in the backseat again., knowing that it was Sam's Camaro because of her sixth sense. "Now I bet you're still bad at me for insulting your car," she teased as the others got in. "I got you an upgrade." The Camaro took off again, their destination unknown to the humans.


	4. Chapter 4

After what seemed like an eternity of waiting and listening to Sam try to flirt with Mikaela, the Camaro stopped driving and pulled into a wide ally. Valerie stepped out first, her eyes scanning the area for any danger. Her grip tightened on her knife as she saw a handful of cars parked in the ally that let off giant tugs. She wasn't sure if they were with the police car or the Camaro, even though it seemed most likely that they were with the Camaro because the Camaro hadn't attacked. Her eyes were instantly drawn to the Peterbilt 379 semi that had a red and blue flame design- she had always been a truck person.

Seeing them, the semi moved forward and transformed (Valerie was getting used to that by now) into a robot that was even bigger than the Camaro. Valerie kept her calm, though, and her eyes met with the blue ones of the truck.

"Are you Samuel James Witwicky, descendant of Archibald Witwicky?" the truck asked Sam in a deep voice, finally breaking eye contact with Valerie, who had refused to stand down. The other cars transformed into their robot forms. Valerie observed them and saw that none of them were quite as tall as the truck, who was obviously the leader.

Mikaela whispered to Sam, "They know your name."

Valerie frowned up at the truck. "So what of he is?" she demanded, not trusting the robots... yet, even if it seemed that they were on the Camaro's side. Now that she thought about it, she wasn't even sure that the Camaro was good. All she knew was that it had saved them from the police car that was trying to kill Sam for unknown reasons.

The semi got down on his knees and made eye contact with Valerie again. She glared at him. "Valerie Hudson," he stated, making it sound like he already knew her name. "High school student, grade eleven, in AP classes, no criminal record, father posted in Qatar..." Valerie flinched at that, but she refused to look away from the semi. "... and descendant of Henry Hudson. Interesting. I did not know any Hudsons lived." He stood (well, Valerie assumed that it was a male) and looked at the three humans.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Valerie demanded, but she was ignored.

"My name is Optimus Prime," the semi told them, casting a long glance at the three humans. "We are autonomous robotic organisms from the planet Cybertron."

The robot that used to be a H2 Hummer spoke up. "But you can call us Autobots for short."  
"Autobots," Sam repeated faintly, looking a bit pale.

A fancy Pontiac Solstice said, "What's crackin', little bitches?"

"Gangster much?" Valerie whispered to Sam and Mikaela, who snorted.

Optimus spoke again. "My first lieutenant," he told them, ignoring the urge to laugh at Valerie Hudson's joke; he was the Prime and needed to react properly around his men. "Designation: Jazz."

Jazz preformed a flip and landed on a junked car in a thinking pose. "This looks like a cool place to kick it," he commented.

Valerie ignored Jazz, who Sam noticed looked like he had been showing off for Valerie. Sam instantly felt bad for the bot; ever since Valerie's first boyfriend had ended up cheating on her, she had made a no-dating rule until she was completely sure of the person. "It's called a name," Valerie muttered.

Optimus bent down in front of her. "What did you say?" he asked.

" _I said_ ," she told him loudly, like his ears had a problem, "that it's a name, not a designation." She glared at him, arms crossed, and he glared back. The other Autobots started shifting nervously; nobody had ever talked to Optimus Prime like that.

He stared at her for a long time, and she kept her head angled up at him with an arrogant posture. "Very well," Prime finally said. "His name is Jazz." The Autobots' mouths dropped open, and even Valerie looked a little shocked. In reality, Optimus admired the human for her nerve and courage. He wasn't going to blast her out of existence for correcting him over a small thing. Besides, she was a Hudson. She was going to be crucial to their success.

"Where did you guys learn how to talk like that?" Sam interrupted, hoping that Optimus wouldn't decide to kill Valerie and wanting to move off that dangerous topic.

Optimus turned to Sam, who gulped. "We learned Earth's languages through the World Wide Web," he answered.

Sam gave him a blank look. "The Internet," Valerie simplified. Sam's mouth formed a perfect "o" as he nodded, causing Valerie to roll her eyes.

Noises came from a black Autobot that turned into a GMC Topkick. Prime turned around. "My weapons specialist, Ironhide," he told them.

Ironhide drew his cannons and aimed at the humans. "Feeling lucky, punk?" he asked.

Valerie stepped in front of Ironhide with her knife in her hand. "Whoa, back off, tiger," she said. "I think I know where your heart is, and I've trained with throwing objects since I was a kid." She refrained from saying that she had never really thrown a knife besides today.

The other Autobots shared a look, wondering at the courage of the human. She was armed with nothing but a puny knife, yet she had jumped in front of her friends to protect them from getting shot. "Easy, Ironhide," Prime finally said.

Ironhide backed up and transformed his cannons back into his hands. "Just kidding," he told Prime. "I just wanted to show them my cannons."

Valerie rolled her eyes as she looked at the remaining Autobots. She noticed that Prime followed her gaze. "Our medical officer, Ratchet," Prime informed them, gesturing to the Hummer.

"The boy's pheromone level suggests he wants to mate with the female," Ratchet said, pointing to Mikaela to indicate which female. Both of them blushed, and Valerie started cracking up, clutching her sides with tears rolling down her face.

Prime bent down. "Is she okay?" he asked, causing her to start laughing harder. She saw the concern in his eyes, but that just made it funnier. "Is she choking? She's turning red."

After a while, Valerie stopped laughing, but a giant grin was stretched across her face. "I'm _never_ going to let you forget that, guys," she said, her grin growing wider when they groaned. "Hey, Jazz!" Valerie called. The first lieutenant almost fell off of the car as she addressed him. "Fifty American bucks that they'll get together in a week."

"Deal!" Jazz said. "Fifty bucks for me, coming right up."

Valerie laughed. "Ha! You wish!" she exclaimed, rolling her eyes as she flipped her hair behind her back. Jazz rolled his eyes back at her, but she couldn't help but notice how his head turned so that she was always in his vision. She frowned at the obvious affection that the Autobot had for her already.

"You already know your guardian, Bumblebee," Prime said unemotionally. Valerie wondered if he was trying to get the others to forget the obvious concern that he had when he thought that she was choking, and based on the way that he was refusing to look at her, it was probable.

Sam turned to Bumblebee as he punched the air like a boxer. "Bumblebee, right?" he asked.

"No, Sam, we totally weren't just told that," Valerie said sarcastically, giving the other Autobots a look clearly saying _Can you believe this guy?_ That got laughs out of everybody besides Prime. But if her eyes weren't deceiving her, his faceplates had lifted briefly and his eyes had sparkled with amusement before he got his emotions under control. God, that guy needed to relax.

Bumblebee started playing a song. " _Check on the rep, yep, second to none..."_

"So you're my guardian?" Sam continued.

Valerie rolled her eyes. "Like I said before, Sam, we totally weren't just told that," she said, causing the Autobots to chuckle. "But don't make the poor guy talk too much." She shot a glance at Ratchet. "His vocal processors are damaged, right?"

"They got damaged in battle. I'm still working on them," Ratchet answered, shooting a laser from his hand at Bumblebee, which caused him to cough.

Sam's wide eyes went from Bumblebee to Ratchet to Valerie. "How did you know that?" he demanded. "Do you have, like, telepathy or something?"

"It was obvious the second we heard the others speak," Valerie answered. "When Bee was the only Bot we knew, I thought that it was natural for their kind to talk through the radio. But when I saw everyone else using their own vocal processors, I realized that he wasn't using them. And why wouldn't he use them? Probably because they were damaged."

By the end of her explanation, everyone was staring at her with slack jaws. The Autobots had figured that Valerie had just scanned Bumblebee real quick (they didn't truly understand humans), and that was how she knew that he was damaged, but they hadn't expected her to come to that piece of knowledge by pure _logic_. Sam and Mikaela were just in awe that Valerie had been able to figure it out. Valerie instantly turned red as they all stared at her for a few more minutes.

Jazz broke the silence. "Warning! Smart chick here!" he joked, and they started laughing. The gaping stopped, and Valerie felt her face returning to normal.

"Why are you here?" Mikaela asked, looking at the giant Prime.

Prime replied, "We are here looking for the AllSpark, and we must find it before Megatron." He looked grave as he said this, and Valerie knew better than to make fun of Megatron's name, whoever that was.

Sam, though, didn't get it. "Mega-what?" he said.

"Megatron," Valerie told him. "Who is he?"

The Autobot leader pressed a button on his ear, and his eye projected a beam of light that grew into 3D shapes that moved. Valerie felt like she was watching an extremely 3D movie. The floor in the hologram cracked, showing them what Valerie assumed to be Cybertron, what she assumed to be the home world of the Autobots. Giant columns made of what looked like steel (or, at least, some type of metal) rose several stories above the surface, and there were many layers made out of the same material stacked on top of each other. Valerie assumed that it was built like that for the same reason humans built apartment buildings- to make more space while using the same amount of space. The thing that ruined the mechanical beauty of it was the dead Autobots on the ground.

"Our planet was once a powerful empire," Prime told them. "Peaceful and just. Until we were destroyed by Megatron, the leader of the Decepticons. All who defied them were destroyed."

Valerie interrupted. "Well, obviously you defied them, but you don't look destroyed to me," she said. When everybody looked at her, she exclaimed, "What?"

Prime ignored her. "Our war finally consumed the planet and the AllSpark was lost to the stars." The hologram of Cybertron turned into one of Megatron fighting off dozens of Autobots at a time with just a spear. Valerie rolled her eyes.

"That's nothing," she muttered not-so-quietly. "I could do that with a bamboo stick, like, ten times better than him. If he shifted his right hand closer to the edge by about an inch..."

She was sent a glare from the Prime that told her that her critiques weren't helpful at the current moment. "Megatron followed the AllSpark to Earth, where Captain Witwicky found him."

"My great- grandfather," Sam breathed. Valerie noticed how nobody glared at him for interrupting. She was about to point that out when Prime continued, not giving her enough time to speak unless she was going to speak over him.

"It was an accident that intertwined our fates. Megatron had crash landed before he could retrieve the Cube. While exploring the Arctic, Archibald Witwicky discovered him buried beneath the ice and accidentally activated his navigation system." Valerie watched as an extremely older version of a man who looked a lot like Sam fell down through a hole in the ice and slid into a cave-like formation underground. He searched the cave with a lantern and found a frozen metal figure who Valerie assumed to be Megatron. Captain Witwicky played with some gears on the robot's fingers, but hit something that was probably important, as it let out something that knocked the captain unconscious. Valerie saw that his glasses were cracked. "The coordinates to the Cube's location on Earth were imprinted on his glasses."

Sam interrupted again. "How do you know about his glasses?" he asked.

Prime fixed him with a serious look, causing him to gulp. "eBay," Prime answered.

"eBay," Sam repeated faintly.

Valerie rolled her eyes. "Told you not to put those things online. You got yourself chased by countless twenty- foot tall robots. And me, too," she teased, trying to get him to feel better.

"Something like this has happened before," Prime announced, getting everyone's attention.

Everyone (even the Autobots) gave him blank looks. "It did?" Ratchet asked.

Well, it seemed like Prime had been keeping some secrets.

Prime nodded. "It's rather ironic," he told them. "Each crash-landing was on Earth, and they were within a few years of each other. However, that time, there were no Decepticons chasing it. This was highly classified, and that is probably why you never knew of it."

"Cut the crap already," Valerie snapped. "What happened to it?"

"We had help," Prime answered. "Human help."

The Autobots stared at him like he was nuts. "Humans?" Valerie asked, disbelieving. "Why did you need the help of humans if you're so... advanced and all that stuff?"

Prime locked eyes with her again, and instead of glaring this time, she felt that he was... grateful? What the hell had she done to earn this mighty leader's gratitude?

"We ran into a human named Henry Hudson," he told her.

Valerie turned to Sam, a giant grin on her face. "Ha!" she exclaimed. "My ancestor's still in this! And he didn't find the leader of a giant alien-robot thingy's equivalent of Al Qaeda! I think I win this one, Witwicky!" She jumped up and down in the air and punched her fist in the air. "Yes!"

Sam rolled his eyes at her childishness. Of course she had to bring their little competition up in front of twenty foot tall alien robots. Prime cleared his throat to bring their attention back to him. Sam was 99.9% sure that he heard Valerie mutter, "Killjoy." He laughed loudly but was able to pass it off as a violent cough.

"The Hudson family, it turned out, had the uncanny ability to sense Transformium, the metal that we use to make all of our materials," Prime continued. "Henry Hudson had sensed the AllSpark and was on a voyage to find it (he claimed that he was looking for the Northwest Passage) when we found him. We teamed up and found it. My kind brought it back to our world." He looked to Valerie, who, for the first time in her life, was speechless. "I knew your ancestor well."

Valerie recovered from her shock. "So that's what I've been feeling lately?" she asked. "Transformium?" Then she frowned. "What the hell makes Transformium so special?"

"Transformium is a metal that takes the shape of anything it or its owner wants," Prime told her. "That is how we can transform into human automobiles."

She grabbed her skateboard (that she had left in Bee's backseat for the whole day but had taken out the last time she had left the car) and unscrewed the wheel. "Like this?" she said, showing it to Prime.

"Exactly like that," he answered. "We gave Henry a piece of Transformium as well that he used as a weapon. I can assist in training you to use this piece like he did."

Valerie grinned. "Cool!" she exclaimed. She tossed the wheel up into the air, and as she did, it turned into a pair of nunchucks. She grinned as she gave them an experimental twirl. "These are perfectly balanced."

"You are doing well already," Prime commented. "Henry took quite a few times to transform it, and that was with us helping him." Valerie smirked as she started playing with the nunchucks. "You will be instrumental to finding the AllSpark."

An uncertain expression crossed Valerie's face. "I don't have as big as a range as you make Henry Hudson's sound," she told him. "I can only sense about four hundred yards or so?" She made the last bit sound like a question because she was guessing.

"He had trained before," Prime reassured her. "He and his family used their ability to find what they thought was steel. That is how his range grew to reach miles. You will be able to sense the AllSpark eventually."

Ratchet interrupted. "Talking about the Allspark, we must find it before the Decepticons," he said. "Or else they will use the AllSpark's power to transform Earth's machines and build a new army."

"And the human race will be extinguished," Prime continued. "Sam Witwicky, you hold the key to Earth's survival."

Mikaela turned to Sam. "Please tell me you have those glasses," she breathed.

"You'd better," Valerie agreed.

Sam nodded. "I have them," he told them. "They're at the house. We gotta go now." Valerie noticed how all the Autobots visibly relaxed when he said that. She realized how important it was to them that their war didn't affect an innocent species and get their planet destroyed like theirs had. She swore to herself to fight with them to protect her planet. They wouldn't be alone.

Prime nodded. "Valerie, I wish to speak to you about your powers. Ride with me," he said. Valerie frowned; she had already been inching towards Jazz. Sure, she had thought that Prime was the coolest before when she saw him as a truck, but now she thought that he was too serious and never loosened up. But she couldn't try to talk him out of it, so after the Autobots had transformed into their alt modes, Valerie jumped into the semi. "Autobots, roll out," Prime ordered, and they drove off towards Sam's house.


	5. Chapter 5

Valerie sat in the drivers seat of the Peterbilt. She didn't want to be the one to break the silence between her and Prime, but it didn't seem like he was going to say something first. So she tested her willpower and did her best not to say anything as she looked out the window, marveling at their speed.

Finally, it became too much for her. Valerie couldn't stand the silence that seemed to be pressing in on her, suffocating her. "Do you know where you're going?" she asked speculatively.

"Yes," Prime answered, causing her to jump when his voice came through the speakers. That was unexpected.

Valerie raised an eyebrow. "How?"

"eBay," he stated plainly.

She snorted. "Yeah, because eBay is the answer to all the world's problems," she scoffed. Then she realized that eBay was the answer to his world's problems. "Crap. Sorry. I didn't mean it like that."

"I did not take offense," he told her. "But it is imperative that we get the glasses, and the easiest way to do that was through eBay."

Valerie nodded. Suddenly, a thought came to her. "Wait, why do you need me if you have the glasses? Or visa versa?" she asked.

Prime said, "The glasses only give us a rough sketch of where the glasses are. We need you to actually find it. Before I knew that the Hudson bloodline had continued, it had been my plan to search the area manually. However, with you, we can find it once it enters your range."

She pushed her multicolored hair out of her face. "Makes sense," she said. "Can anybody control Transformium?

"Yes and no," he told her. "Transformium is said to have a brain of its own. If it belongs to somebody, it only listens to their commands. For example, you would not be able to control my Transformium because I control it. If Transformium is unclaimed, anybody can control it. Hudsons, however, have always seemed to have an ability to control Transformium with ease. Your Transformium should have bonded with you by now."

Valerie looked at the piece of metal in her hand with a new respect. "Cool," she muttered. Then she addressed Prime. "So did my ancestor actually know what his gift did?"

"No!" Prime exclaimed loudly. Valerie flinched; her ear was close to his speakers. "I'm sorry," he said immediately. "The ridiculousness of your question startled me."

She patted the speakers absentmindedly. "It's fine," she told him. "But why is it so ridiculous? I mean, he knew about you guys being aliens, so what's the big deal with him knowing what he can really do?" Prime didn't respond for a few seconds. "Prime? He did know about you guys being aliens, right? I mean, you're twenty feet tall."

"Optimus," Prime corrected instantly. "Call me Optimus." Valerie grimaced; if a last name was given, she normally used it unless she knew the person well enough. "And he never saw us like this. We used something called holoforms."

Valerie jumped as a human figure started forming in the passengers seat next to her. "What the fucking hell?!" she cursed.

"Calm down," Optimus told her. "It is my holoform. It allows me to take the form of a human. This is how we interacted with the humans. Give it a few more seconds to form." Just like he said, a college-aged human boy was sitting beside Valerie after a few seconds. He had messed up dirty blonde (more on the blonde side) hair and bright blue eyes that matched his optics. Most girls would have been gushing over how cute he was and how his muscles bulged, but Valerie had a stronger will than that. Even though she admitted that the Prime had looks, she wasn't going to start fawning over him.

She let out a whistle. "If you're this young and you're one of the oldest out of all of them, what do the other Autobots look like?" she asked. "They must be, like, toddlers or something. Ha! Imagine Jazz... the gangster toddler."

The holoform smiled slightly at the thought of that. "Actually, I chose to take on the youngest human form," he told her. "I feel like I sometimes need to remember how to be young and carefree again."

Valerie poked him, expecting her finger to go straight through him because he was a holoform. However, her finger met flesh. "You're solid," she stated, poking harder. Optimus laughed at her disbelief.

For a few seconds, they were silent, and Valerie couldn't help but sneak glances at the holoform next to her. Occasionally she saw him do the same, and when they caught each other's eye, they turned away, blushing and embarrassed.

This time, Optimus broke the silence. "So tell me about living on Earth," he said.

Valerie laughed. "Yeah, nothing special here," she told him. "We're really just selfish, obnoxious people." She took a deep breath as Optimus laughed at that. "I really don't see why you're doing so much to save us. Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for that, but what's in our race that's worth it to save?"

Optimus took a deep breath. "I don't really know," he answered. "Maybe I see something in your species that reminds me of when my race was young. I don't want you to loose that." He looked into her wide blue eyes. "Maybe I feel like I have a debt to the human race for helping us find the AllSpark. Maybe it's duty. Like I said, I don't know."

For the rest of the trip, they started talking comfortably. Valerie opened up after Optimus told her a bit about Cybertron, and soon she was chatting with Optimus's holoform comfortably about her life. She complained about Trent and the principal and had even gotten the stern Prime to laugh at some of her stunts that she pulled at school. It was too short a ride after that, and Valerie cursed herself for not starting the conversation earlier.

When the two of them pulled up in front of Sam's house, the Autobots, Sam, and Mikaela immediately noticed the new ease between them. They were more at ease with each other; half of the time in the alley, they had been glaring at each other. Sam knew that Valerie, despite her protests, needed an anchor in her life, and he could see Optimus always being there for her. He wondered if he was thinking too far ahead, but he saw how much closer they were in the few minutes that they had had alone. Valerie walked up to Sam and rolled her eyes at him, knowing what he was thinking.

Valerie turned to the Autobots. "You all need to stay here, all right?" she ordered.

"Mikaela, stay and watch them until the coast is clear," Sam said. Mikaela nodded. "Five minutes. C'mon, Valerie."

The two of them hurried to Sam's house. Valerie remembered Mr. Witwicky's new rule and walked on the path, but Sam ran across the grass. Valerie rolled her eyes. "Thanks for staying on my path," Valerie heard Mr. Witwicky snap, and she looked up to see him standing by the back door.

"Oh, yeah. No, no, Dad. Hey! The, oh, the path. I'm sorry. I forgot. I forgot about the path. I'm gonna sweep the whole thing right now. How about that?" Sam said, a desperate edge to his voice. Valerie walked up behind him and stood by his side.

Mr. Witwicky sighed. "You know, I buy half your car, then I bail you out of jail, then I just decided to do all your chores," he replied.

Sam gulped. "The chores. Oh," he muttered.

"Yeah. Life is great, huh?" Mr. Witwicky said.

Valerie felt a light tickle in her gut, and she turned to see the Autobots in their robot form. She must have been getting better if she was able to pick up their transformation. At first, she was pleased about that, then her eyes widened; if Mr. Witwicky came outside now, he'd see the Autobots.

Valerie jumped in. "You know, Mr. Witwicky, we're going to go do the trash cans now," she told him, trying not to panic.

Mr. Witwicky shook his head. "No, no, I don't want you two to strain yourselves," he replied.

Sam shook his head as Valerie replied, "No, not at all. We're not going to strain ourselves." Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Bumblebee start to walk up to them. She mentally groaned and started babbling. "It would hurt my feelings if you do it. After all, you're letting me live with you while my father's in Qatar. I would feel really, really bad if I made you do the trash cans. I've got the trash cans covered."

"I'm gonna scrape the grill, too," Sam added.

Valerie nodded. "And I'm gonna sweep the whole house," she said.

"Right now," they said together.

Mr. Witwicky looked at both of them speculatively. "I don't mind doing it, I promise," he told them, starting to force the door open.

Sam leaned against the frame and blocked it. "The- uh- I love you. God, I love you so much right now," he blurted. Valerie laughed but passed it off as a cough.

"You know, Mom wanted me to ground you. You're three minutes late," Mr. Witwicky said.

Sam nodded. "Just another thing you did for me, Dad, because you're such a swell guy," he agreed, nodding. Mr. Witwicky started walking back into the house "I love you! Sleep tight, handsome man!" Sam called after him.

The second Mr. Witwicky was out of sight, Valerie turned to the Autobots. "What are you doing? We had it under control!" she exclaimed.

"We need the glasses," Optimus answered, walking into the yard.

Valerie and Sam's eyes widened in unison. "Not the path!" they shouted together as Optimus's foot came down in the middle of the yard, crushing the fountain and the path.

"Whoops," Optimus said. "My bad." He stepped off the path, revealing the crushed fountain.

Sam groaned. "You couldn't wait for five minutes?" he demanded. "I told you to stay. Just- stay! God!"

Mikaela walked into the yard, and Sam turned to her angrily. "I told you to watch them," he accused. "I told you."

"Okay, you know what? They seem to be in a little bit of a rush," Mikaela said. Suddenly, they heard a bark, and they turned to see Mojo barking at Ironhide.

"Oh crap," Valerie muttered as Mojo lifted his leg and peed on the robot's foot.

Sam let out another groan. "Mojo, Mojo!" he shouted. "Off the robot!"

Ironhide bent down and saw the dog. "Nnh," he muttered. "Wet."

Sam's eyes widened. "No no no no no no no!" he exclaimed. "Easy, easy! Hold! This is Mojo. This is Mojo. He's a pet of mine. A pet. Okay? That's all."

"You have a rodent infestation," Ironhide told him. "Should I terminate?"

Valerie stepped in as Sam picked up Mojo protectively. "He's his pet," she said. "A Chihuahua."

"He leaked lubricants all over my foot," Ironhide replied accusingly as Sam held Mojo tighter.

She nodded. "It's a male dominance thing," she reassured him. "That's all it is."

"My foot is going to rust," Ironhide mumbled. Valerie gestured to Sam to clean it up, and he ran and got a wipe to clean it. She would have been laughing at Sam (he looked like he was about to burst), Mojo, and the Autobots if it wasn't such a serious situation.

Optimus bent down. "We need the glasses," he reminded them, the impatience obvious in his voice.

Valerie nodded. "Don't worry," she reassured him. "We're moving. C'mon, Sam' let's get inside. Just... be quiet, guys. And hide."


	6. Chapter 6

She grabbed Sam's wrist and pulled him inside the house. After a few minutes, they were pawing through Sam's room, trying to find the glasses. Even though the glasses had been seen a few days ago, they were MIA. After tossing some underwear out of Sam's draw, Valerie started wondering if they were anywhere.

After a while, Mikaela was lifted into the room by Optimus's hand. "They really want those glasses," Mikaela explained as she climbed into the room.

"Please hurry," Optimus pleaded.

Valerie patted his finger (the closest part of him to her) as she rolled her eyes. "You seriously doubt us," she told him. "We'll get through Sam's room eventually."

Optimus nodded as their eyes met, and he walked away from the window. "Remember that we need to leave before the Decepticons find the AllSpark," he said.

During her conversation with Optimus, Sam and Mikaela had been trying to figure out where Sam's glasses were.

"So what I think you should do is you should... you should check this whole... this whole section here," Sam was telling Mikaela.

Valerie looked around the room. "Hey, would I get a signature from the glasses? Maybe I can find it," she suggested, but she was ignored. "Anybody agree with me?" She didn't get any answers, so she went to the window and saw the Autobots standing awkwardly in the yard. "Can I get a signature from the glasses?"

"Maybe," Optimus answered instantly. "I don't exactly know how your powers work. I never had that much time to observe Henry's powers or to ask him about his powers without revealing too much."

She took a deep breath. "I'm guessing that its signature would be pretty weak because it's not technically Transformium," she said, thinking out loud. "So your signatures would overpower it. I'm guessing that if I'm going to be able to sense it, I'd have to be in the same room as it. I'm going to take a walk around the house. See ya."

Valerie left the window as Sam was shouting at Mikaela for looking through his treasure chest. She walked out of the room and closed the door behind her as she went from room to room, trying to ignore the tugs she felt from the Autobots and focusing hard on finding the glasses.

Suddenly, there was some crackling noises from outside, and the lights went out. Valerie looked out of the nearest window and saw that Ratchet had fallen on top of the electric wires. "Wow, that feels tingly!" he said excitedly. "You've gotta try that!"

Ironhide, who was standing nearby, nodded. "That looks fun," he agreed. Valerie groaned and was about to go outside and shout at them when Mr. and Mrs. Witwicky came hurrying past her.

"Valerie!" Mrs. Witwicky exclaimed. "Thank goodness you're here, we were just going upstairs to check on Sam..." She pushed Valerie ahead of her and started fussing about her.

Soon they got to Sam's door. It was locked, and a bright light was coming from inside. Valerie was able to use her powers to tell that one of the Autobots was shining a bright light into Sam's room to help him look for the glasses. She could tell from the signature that the Autobot let out that it was Ratchet shining the light.

She was getting good.

Mr. Witwicky started knocking as the light went out. "Sam, are you in there?" he demanded. "How come the door's locked? You know the rules! There's no locked doors in my house!"

"You'll know he'll start counting!" Mrs. Witwicky added shrilly.

Valerie tried to get their attention, knowing that Sam needed to find the glasses quickly, which would be impossible with ditzy Mrs. Witwicky hanging around. "Mr. Witwicky, maybe Sam's busy right now," she tried, but she was ignored as he started counting.

"Five," Mr. Witiwicky said.

"Oh dear," Mrs. Witwicky declared.

Valerie cleared her throat. "Hey! Guys!" she said but they ignored her.

"Four," Mr. Witiwicky continued. "It's coming off the hinges, pal."

Mrs. Witwicky exclaimed, "He's counting! Sam, just open the door!"

Valerie did some quick thinking. She needed to give him some more time, even if it wasn't that much. "Hey!" she shouted. "I'M PREGNANT!" Mr. and Mrs. Witwicky turned to her with shocked expressions. "Not?" she added questioningly.

Outside, the Autobots were in silent hysterics as they hid. They couldn't help but admire Valerie's way to grab attention. It even affected Optimus, who felt that Henry Hudson's descendant was a brave human who was loyal to the end. She had loyalty, honor, and a willing heart, three of the things he prized in a soldier.

"That..." Jazz chocked, trying to get the words out while laughing as hard as he could, "... was amazing!"

Ironhide nodded, trying not to make any sounds. "Born troublemaker!" he managed to get out. Optimus rolled his eyes at their immaturity and prayed to Primus that Valerie, Sam, and Mikaela would find the glasses soon.

Finally, Sam opened the door. "What's up?" he asked. Valerie sighed in relief and sent him a _where the fuck were you_? look.

"Who were you talking to?" Mr. Witwicky demanded.

Sam looked around. "I'm talking to you," he told him a little too innocently. Valerie told herself that she would teach him how to lie properly after this.

"Why are you so filthy and sweaty?" Mrs. Witwicky asked, looking Sam up and down. Valerie realized that Sam was, indeed, dripping sweat. She couldn't blame him; they had had an extremely hectic day, and Sam was probably the most stressed out of all of them.

He coughed. "I'm a child," he stated nervously. "You know, I'm a teenager."

"We heard voices and noises and we thought that maybe you were-" Mrs. Witwicky started, but Mr. Witwicky cut her off.

"Yeah, it doesn't matter what we thought," he snapped. "What was that light?"

Sam's eyes widened as he looked around his room. "No, what light?" he asked. "What? There's no light, Dad! There's no light!" Over his parents' shoulders, he sent Valerie a _help me_! look. Valerie shrugged, like, _your parents, your problem._

"The light!" Mr. Witwicky repeated.

He exclaimed, panicked, "You have a light in your hand! That's what it is!"

Mr. Witwicky shook his head. "There was a light under the door."

Sam, seeing that his current tactic wasn't working, decided to change his approach. "You guys can't just storm into my room like cops. You need to knock. Communicate."

"We knocked for five minutes," Mr. Witwicky snapped. "Valerie's door was open, why wasn't yours?"

Sam shot Valerie an exasperated look. "Well, Valerie's Valerie," he replied. "She does strange things. I, meanwhile, am a normal teenager." Valerie snorted at that.

"We knocked!" Mrs. Witwicky protested.

Valerie shook her head in an exasperated way. "You didn't knock," Sam told her. "You were screaming at me, okay? This is repression, what you're doing here. You're ruining my youth, okay?" For a second, it looked like he had won.

Then Mrs. Witwicky blurted out, "Oh, for Pete's sakes! You're so defensive! Were you... masturbating?"

Valerie burst out laughing at that, clutching her stomach and turning red again. Sam... masturbating! Ha! The thought of it!

"Judy..." Mr. Witwicky said.

Sam's jaw, meanwhile, had dropped open. "Was I mastur- No, Mom!" he exclaimed.

"That's a father-son thing," Mr. Witwicky told Mrs. Witwicky. "That's not something for you to bring up."

Sam nodded, happy at an excuse. "Father-son thing," he agreed.

Mrs. Witwicky ignored him. "You don't have to call it that word if it makes you uncomfortable," she said. "You can call it your happy time, or-"

"Happy time?" Valerie choked out, laughing so hard that she could hardly breath. "What are we talking about, cocktail hour?"

Mrs. Witwicky continued, "My special alone time with myself..."

Valerie stepped in, seeing Optimus's annoyed blue optics peeking into the room. "Hey! I have an idea! Why don't we all go downstairs and Sam and I can do our homework!" she exclaimed with a forced cheerful tone. "Sam still has to unpack the stuff from _his project_ about _Archibald Witwicky_ and put the _glasses_ in a _safe place_." She emphasized the words that would remind Sam of their current task.

"I still want to know who you were talking to, Sam," Mr. Witwicky said sternly. Sam looked like he was about to explode, and Valerie was about to snap something at Sam's parents that would probably get her grounded for a few months, when Mikaela popped up.

Mikaela looked a bit sheepish as she waved. "Hi, I'm Mikaela," she told Mr. and Mrs. Witwicky. "I'm a friend of Sam's and Valerie's."

"You're gorgeous," Mrs. Witwicky stated, causing Mikaela to turn slightly red. "Isn't that the prettiest girl?

Sam groaned. "She can hear you talking, Mom," he said, sounding embarrassed.

Then Mrs. Witwicky gasped. "I'm sorry you had to hear our little family discussion about this-"

Valerie cut her off. "Mrs. Witwicky, do you know where Sam left his backpack?" she asked. "We're going back to school tomorrow and we need to get our stuff ready."

"Oh, it's in the kitchen," Mrs. Witwicky said carelessly. Valerie ran out of the room, Sam and Mikaela following her. Valerie stopped when she entered the kitchen, causing Sam and Mikaela to run into her, and the three of them fell to the ground with Valerie on the bottom.

She let out a groan. "Fuck..." she cursed. "Get off me, both of you." She pushed them off and saw Sam's backpack. Sam grabbed it and pulled the glasses out.

"Got it!" he exclaimed. They started walking out of the kitchen to the living room. "Okay, I want you two to distract my parents when I slip out and give it to them."

Suddenly, the doorbell rang, and Valerie stopped. If the Autobots had turned into their holoforms and were going to enter the house, she would literally die right then. They would cause her and Sam to have to come up with a lot of excuses as to why they were associating with older people (Optimus had told her that he was the youngest, and he was college age, so she assumed that the others were in their forties or fifties).

Then they some men in suits step into the house, and Valerie's eyes narrowed. Who were they? What did they want? Was it simply a coincidence that strange men entered the house the same day that she, Sam, and Mikaela found out about the Autobots?

"Ronald Wickity?" the man in front of everyone asked. Valerie could instantly tell that he was the leader, and she frowned at him.

Mr. Witwicky frowned. "It's Witwicky," he told the man. "Who are you?"

"Government," the man said. "Sector Seven."

Valerie kept quiet, sensing that she didn't want to draw attention to herself and Sam yet. "Never heard of you," Mr. Witwicky replied stubbornly. Valerie smirked.

"Never will," the man agreed. "Your son is the great-grandson of Archibald Wickity, is he not?"

She could literally hear Mr. Witwicky's teeth grind as he snapped, "It's Witwicky."

The man observed him for a second. "Can I enter the premises, sir?" he asked coldly. Valerie sent a look to Sam, telling him to hide the glasses. His eyes widened, and he shoved them in her hands, panicking. She rolled her eyes and passed it back to him forcibly. He shoved it in his pocket.

"Ron, there's guys all over our yard," Mrs. Witwicky said, looking outside the window.

Mr. Witwicky joined her. "What the heck is going on here?" he demanded, seeing government agents pawing through his yard.

"Your son filed a stolen car report last night," the government agent answered. "We think that it has something to do with a national security matter."

Mr. Witwicky raised an eyebrow. "National security?"

"They're ripping up my rosebushes!" Mrs. Witwicky protested.

After a few more minutes of Mrs. Witwicky trying to protect her rosebushes (involving her threatening guys with guns with a baseball bat), Valerie decided to step in. "What the fuck is going on?" she demanded, causing the government agent to turn to her, Sam, and Mikaela.

The guy instantly looked like a kid on Christmas morning. "How you doing, son?" he asked. "Is your name Sam?"

"Yeah," Sam replied apprehensively.

Government Agent nodded. "Well, I need you to come with us," he told him.

"Whoa, way out of line," Mr. Witwicky protested.

Government Agent turned to Mr. Witwicky angrily. "Sir, I am asking politely," he snapped. "Back off."

"You're not taking my son," Mr. Witwicky stated calmly. "I'm gonna call the cops because there's something fishy going on here."

He laughed. "Yeah. There's something a little fishy about you, your son, your little Taco Bell dog, and this whole operation you got going here."

Valerie frowned at him. "What fucking operation? I've been living with them for months, you dickhead," she snapped. "There's no operation here, and before you can start that 'fishy' thing with me, let me tell you this; my father's a soldier and he's currently missing in Qatar. So don't even try."

"Regardless, we're gonna find out what's going on here," Government Agent said. "Step forward, young man." Sam stepped forward apprehensively, and the scanner started beeping rapidly. "Fourteen rads!" Government Agent exclaimed happily. He turned the scanner towards Valerie, and the beeping intensified. Valerie watched as the needle went as high as it could go and strained to get higher. "Bingo! Tag them and bag them!"


	7. Chapter 7

Valerie, Sam, and Mikaela were sitting in a black SUV together while Sam's parents were in another one. The teens had the unfortune to be in the same car as Government Agent.

"So, uh... LadiesMan 217," Government Agent started. "That's your eBay username, right?"

Sam turned red. "Yeah, but you know, it was a typo and I kinda just ran with it," he answered. Valerie rolled her eyes and tried desperately to sense the Autobots coming closer. She knew that there was no way that they would leave them (or, at least, the glasses), so she knew that they would be following the S7 vehicles. The question was whether or not they would come before Sam gave them up with his babbling ways.

"Well, what do you make of this?" Government Agent asked, showing Sam's phone to them. It was playing the recording that Sam had made in the junkyard. Valerie rolled her eyes, thinking that she should have stopped Sam from taking that video. "Is that you?"

Mikaela gave Sam a sour look. "Yeah, that sounds like LadiesMan," she told Government Agent, causing Valerie to start laughing.

"Last night at the station, you told the officer your car transformed. Enlighten me," Government Agent ordered.

Sam chuckled awkwardly. "Well, here's what I said, okay? Cause this is a total misunderstanding that my car had ben stolen-"

Government Agent interrupted. "Really?" he asked.

"From me, from my home," Sam continued. "But it's fine now because it came back! It came back!" Valerie resisted the urge to kick him. How old did he think he was, two?

She decided to help him out. "But not by itself," Valerie said.

"Well, no," Sam agreed.

"Because that would be stupid and unrealistic and that would mean that you were high, right?" Valerie replied.

They started laughing loudly, making it sound extremely fake. Valerie knew that her laughter was fake; there was no way that she could have a real laugh after the stressful events of the night.

Suddenly, Government Agent stopped laughing, making Valerie think that he had been faking, as well. The three teens stopped, too.

"So what do you kids know about aliens?" he asked.

Sam scoffed. "Oh, you mean like a Martian?" he replied. "Pfft, no."

"I heard that the government found aliens on the moon," Valerie added. "And that they're keeping the info from the public." Government Agent flinched, causing her to think that she had hit close to the truth with a comment meant to get under his skin.

Mikaela continued, "It's an urban legend."

Government Agent showed his S7 badge. "You know what this is?" he demanded. "This is my I-can-do-whatever-I-want-and-get-away-with-it badge. I'm gonna lock you up forever."

"Oh, God, you know what? Don't listen to him. He's just pissy because he has to get back to guarding the mall," Mikaela snapped, glaring at Government Agent. Valerie wanted to give her a high-five, but her hands were handcuffed and it would just be awkward.

Government Agent glared. "You in the training bra- do not test me. Especially with your daddy's parole coming up," he replied angrily.

Sam frowned. "What? Parole?" he asked.

Mikaela shook her head. "It's nothing," she told him.

Government Agent let out a laugh. "Oh, grand theft auto, that ain't nothing?"

Mikaela took a deep breath and turned to Sam. "You know those cars my dad used to teach me to fix? Well, they... they weren't always his."

"So you're basically saying that you stole cars?" Valerie said.

She looked uncomfortable. "Well, we couldn't always afford a babysitter, so sometimes he had to take me along," she defended herself.

"She's go her own juvie record to prove it!" Government Agent added. Valerie glared at him. God, he was annoying. "She's a criminal. Criminals are hot!"

Valerie felt a sudden tug in her gut that caused her to let out a light gasp. She looked out the window, expecting to see the Autobots coming (she could tell it was the Autobots), but in the darkness, she couldn't see anything. Her range had probably expanded because she had used her powers so much today, so she didn't know when the Autobots would be able to intercept the S7 vehicles.

She knew that she would have to do something loudly so that nobody would pay attention to the scanner. "Hey!" Valerie shouted, causing everyone to look at her. She was careful not to look at the scanner. "I gotta go pee!"

Government Agent turned away from her, even though she kept shouting about having to go pee on the nice seats of the SUV. "It's time to talk!" he exclaimed, looking at Sam and Mikaela.

Suddenly, the SUV rammed into something hard and metal, causing Valerie to have to grab the seat in front of her to prevent falling out of the car; she hadn't put her seat belt on. She saw Sam and Mikaela do the same. The next second, the car was lifted into the air, and Valerie knew that it was Optimus. She breathed a sigh of relief.

The roof suddenly snapped off, and the car fell back to the ground. All the occupants of the car craned their neck to see the face of the tall blue and red figure in front of them.

"Oooh, you guys are in trouble now!" Valerie exclaimed happily. "You have no clue who that is, but I'm telling you, he's pissed right now!"

Sam smiled slightly. "Gentlemen, I want to introduce you to our friend Optimus Prime," he said.

"Taking the children was a bad move," Optimus told Government Agent, and Valerie could tell that he was in a really bad mood.

Other S7 vehicles surrounded the SUV that Valerie and the others were in. They all had guns that were aimed at Optimus. Valerie grinned, knowing that the other Autobots were hiding nearby. The S7 people wouldn't even know what had hit them.

"Autobots, relieve them of their weapons," Optimus ordered, and the other Autobots came out from under the bridge. Their weapons were pointed at the S7 agents.

Jazz held up his hand and used a magnet to rip the weapons from the agents' hands. Valerie grinned even wider at the shocked expressions on the agents' faces. One of them even tried holding onto their weapon tightly but let go the second it was off the ground.

Valerie jumped out of the truck-turned-convertible and walked up to Optimus. "Thanks for busting us out," she told him, still in a good mood. "Those guys were really being jerks to us."

"Which one?" Optimus asked as he gently picked her up and placed her on his shoulder. Valerie pointed to Government Agent, causing Optimus to pick him up (not as gently as Valerie) and hold him from the scruff of his shirt in front of Optimus's eyes. "Never ever harm this girl again, or else I will make sure you regret it. Do I make myself clear?" Government Agent nodded, looking very anxious to get his feet back on the ground. Optimus bent down and placed him down. "You don't seem afraid. Are you not surprised to see us?"

Government Agent glared. "Look, there are S7... protocols, okay? I'm not authorized to communicate with you except to tell you that I... can't communicate with you."

"Bad move, dude," Valerie muttered.

Optimus glared. "Get out of the car," he ordered sharply, displeasure clear in his voice.

"Alright," Government Agent said. "Alright. Me? You want me to-"

The Prime cut him off. "Now!" he roared angrily, and Government Agent flinched.

Government Agent started slowly getting out of the car, keeping his eyes on Optimus warily. "Alright. Alright. Get out," he snapped to one of the men in the car. "Hey. Alright, I'm... yeah, I'm getting out. I'm getting out. You see? Very nifty how you put us down without really... killing us."

"It's a shame he didn't," Valerie told him from her perch on Optimus's shoulder. "You know he could have." She turned her Transformium into a key for her handcuffs and slipped them off of her wrists.

Government Agent glared at her, and Optimus let out a displeased growl, causing Government Agent to jump and look towards Sam and Mikaela, who were getting their handcuffs off.

"Big guys. Big guys with big guns, huh?" Government Agent said awkwardly.

Sam and Mikaela, conversation finished, turned to Government Agent. "What is Sector Seven?" Sam demanded. "Answer me."

"I'm the one who asks questions around here, not you, young man!" Government AGent snapped.

Mikaela ignored him. "How'd you know about the aliens?"

"Where did you take my parents?" Sam added.

Government Agent glared. "I'm not at liberty to discuss-"

Valerie cut him off. "No?" she asked. She deftly climbed down Optimus in a few seconds (she had done rock-climbing as a kid) and walked up to him. She searched through Government Agent's pockets and grabbed his badge. "Do-whatever-you-want-and-get-the-fuck-away-with-it badge, right?"

"Touching me is a federal offense," Government Agent told her. She glanced at the badge and found out that his name was Simmons. "Brave all of a sudden, with your big alien friend standing over there."

She tossed the badge to Sam angrily and kicked Simmons hard in the stomach with the kick she had been practicing on the punching bags. Simmons let out a grunt. "Shut up," she growled, and the other Autobots started laughing at Simmons's shocked look.

"Where's Sector Seven?" Sam tried again.

Simmons sneered at him. "Wouldn't you like to know?" he said.

Bee threw something metal at Simmons that he had taken out of his groin and started peeing on Simmons. Valerie stared blankly for a second then started cracking up loudly at the dumbstruck agent and was soon joined by the other Autobots. "Sam, you need to potty train your car!" Valerie exclaimed through her laughter.

"Stop lubricating the man," Optimus finally ordered. Bee let out an indignant squawk but stopped peeing on Simmons.

Mikaela turned to Simmons. "Alright, tough guy, take it off," she said.

"What are you talking about?" Simmons asked.

She glared. "Your clothes," she answered. "All of it. Off."

"For what?"

Valerie rolled her eyes as Mikaela snapped, "For threatening my dad."

Since Simmons had no power, he was basically forced to take off his clothes, garment by garment. "Little lady," he said as he took off his clothes, "this is the beginning... of the end... of your life. You're a criminal. Uh huh. Let's face the facts. It's in your gene pool."

"Those are nice," Valerie commented, hiding her snickers as Simmons showed his Hawaiian boxers with a giant S7 symbol on it.

Mikaela ignored Valerie. "Now back behind the pole," she ordered. Simmons obeyed grumpily, and Mikaela handcuffed Simmons to the pole.

"This is a felony, what you're doing," another S7 agent told them.

Simmons glared. "I will hunt you down, okay?" he snapped.

"He'll hunt you down," the S7 agent agreed.

"Without any remorse!" Simmons added.

"No remorse."

Valerie scoffed. "Didn't know you were training a parrot, Simmons," she told him as she turned back to Optimus with Sam and Mikaela.

"Optimus! Incoming!" Ironhide shouted a few seconds later.

Ironhide slammed the road, causing blue shockwaves that triggered the brakes on the vehicles, causing them to stop. "Roll out!" Optimus ordered. Most of the Autobots turned into their alt modes, but Optimus stayed and held his hand out. "Up you get." The three of them scrambled into his hand, and Optimus started running with the choppers in pursuit. He stumbled once, causing Valerie, who had been leaning out of his hand, to fall out.

Valerie let out a scream but soon gathered her wits. She pulled out her Transformium and turned it from a key to a hover-board. Her descent stopped, and she scrambled to the top of it and took off after Optimus and the others.

They hid under a bridge, Optimus hanging onto the bridge while Sam and Mikaela clung to him. Valerie was crouched on her hover-board next to Optimus, close enough to grab something if she suddenly fell. One helicopter passed by and didn't seem to sense them. Valerie let her hopes get up.

A second one approached, and Mikaela suddenly slipped. "I'm slipping!" she screeched. "I'm slipping!"

"Hold on!" Optimus said, but she started falling. Sam reached out and grabbed her, but he fell off, too, causing both of them to plummet to the ground. Valerie was about to go shoot off after them, but Optimus got there first. He somehow swung his foot under them so that they landed on it instead of the ground. Valerie failed to see why that was more comfortable than landing on concrete.

Bee swung out of nowhere and grabbed them, landing on the ground with Sam and Mikaela in his grasp. The three of them were instantly surrounded by S7 agents.

"Sam!" Valerie shouted, but the noise from the S7 agents was too loud for anyone to hear her. "Bee! Mikaela!"

She was about the go after them when Optimus stopped her. "You won't be able to do anything," he told her. "We... I need you here with us."

So Valerie was forced to watch as the S7 agents started freezing Bee as Sam and Mikaela were restrained by agents. She couldn't help her heart reaching out for Bee. She wanted to go out there and help him, to fight the S7 agents off with her Transformium. But she knew that she couldn't. She would most likely be captured, and that wouldn't do anything because Optimus and the others wouldn't be able to find the AllSpark. After a few minutes (and a reappearance of Simmons), the three of them were taken away by S7.

Jazz swung into the bridge by Optimus and Valerie. He sent a forced smile to Valerie, which she returned. "Optimus, are we just gonna stand here and do nothing?" he asked.

"There's no way to free Bumblebee without harming the humans," Optimus answered, staring after the cars with a torn expression on his face. Valerie, even though she wanted to chase after Sam, Mikaela, and Bee, understood and patted his arm soothingly.

Jazz, however, didn't get it. "But it's not right!" he protested. "He-"

Valerie cut him off. "Jazz, I know," she said. "I want to go after them, too. But we can't risk our own lives, or else Megatron will get the AllSpark. Besides, if we kill the agents, there's going to be a war between your race and mine. We have to stay."

Optimus saw the glasses on the ground and dropped down to pick it up. "We're going to use the glasses and Valerie to find the AllSpark," he declared. "It's our only hope."


	8. Chapter 8

After driving in silence for a few hours, the Autobots and Valerie stopped. Valerie didn't know where they were but assumed it to be safe. Optimus wouldn't lead his people into a possibly dangreous situation. She hoped desperately that Sam and Mikaela were okay and cursed herself for not following them, even though she knew that it would probably end badly for her and the others.

"Please," Optimus pleaded to some unknown god, holding the glasses. "Let this work."

Jazz came closer. "Fire it up, Optimus," he said. Optimus's optics let out a blue beam that hit the glasses. A holographic map of Earth popped up.

"How the hell did Megatron get the glasses to do _this_?" Valerie demanded in awe, Sam and Mikaela momentarily forgotten. Nobody answered, most likely because they were staring at the map with intense focus.

Optimus bent closer. "The code on these glasses indicate that the AllSpark is 230 miles from here," he announced.

Valerie whistled. "Wow," she said. "I won't be able to sense that for a while."

"I sense the Decepticons are getting ready to mobilize," Ratchet warned them, glancing around uneasily. Valerie stretched out her range for as far as she could, but she couldn't sense anything. She wondered if that was good or bad.

Ironhide nodded. "They must know it's here, as well," he said.

"We have to find the AllSpark and get out of here as fast as hell, then," Valerie told them still straining to find any sign of the Decepticons. She still felt nothing, but maybe her worry for Sam and the others was clouding her senses.

Jazz spoke up. "What about Bumblebee?" he asked. "We can't just leave him to die and become some human experiment." Valerie nodded, missing the brave bot that had protected her and Sam against everything from dogs to police cars.

"He'll die in vain if we don't accomplish our mission," Optimus replied. "Bumblebee is a brave solider. This is what he would want." But it sounded a lot like Optimus was trying to convince himself of that fact.

Ironhide let out a growl. "Why are we fighting to save the humans?" he said angrily. "They're a primitive and violent race."

Valerie glared at him, her hand tightening on her Transformium. "Sam and Mikaela got captured trying to end a war that wasn't even theirs! And you're calling them violent and primitive?" she snapped. The stress of the day was finally getting to her, and she felt like she would break any time soon.

"But look at what the agents did to them!" Ironhide protested.

"So you're incriminating a whole planet based off of a few people? Great. Go ahead. I'm sure that you'll make a lot of friends like that," Valerie replied bitterly. "You'd better start watching your mouth."

Ironhide opened his mouth to protest, but Optimus beat him to it. "Were we so different?" he reminded the weapons specialist. "They're a young species. They have much to learn. But I've seen goodness in them. Freedom is the right of all sentient beings. You all know there's only one way to end this war. We must destroy the Cube. If all else fails, I will unite it with the Spark in my chest."

The other Autobots let out a gasp, but Valerie didn't know what the big deal was. As far as she knew, there was a lot of power in a Transformer's Spark. Maybe it would be enough to destroy the Cube?

"That's suicide!" Ratchet protested. "The Cube is raw power! It could destroy you both!" Valerie let out a gasp (a bit late).

Optimus looked at Valerie. "A necessary sacrifice to bring peace to this planet and its occupants. We cannot let the humans pay for our mistakes..."

"You don't have to do this," Valerie whispered, knowing that when he had said "its occupants", he had meant specifically her, Sam, and Mikaela. "It's not your planet."

He bent down to look her in the eye. "I do need to do this," he argued. "You could loose your life because a war that my species started. That is the last thing that I would want to happen- you're too important. The Cube must be destroyed, even if it means loosing part of our culture. Its destruction would be for the better." Valerie couldn't tell whether the "you" in his sentence was singular and referring to her or talking about the whole human race.

Valerie frowned, but she didn't reply. Optimus took that to mean that she had run out of arguments, so he stood back up again. "It's been an honor serving with you all," he said. "Autobots, roll out!"

A few hours later, the Autobots stopped because they needed a recharge. Valerie had a feeling that even though Optimus was half dead from exhaustion, he would keep moving on. After a passionate argument with the speakers (she had been riding in Optimus again), she had convinced Optimus that he and the Autobots would do no good if they couldn't keep their eyes open while fighting the Decepticons, which would most likely happen. So they had stopped in the woods off of the highway.

Valerie, since she had been sleeping during the ride, had taken first watch and was now leaning against Optimus's alt mode, keeping her eyes open, ears peeled, and powers stretched as far as they could go.

Her mind, meanwhile, was whirring restlessly. It wasn't because she had just found about a race of giant alien robots or because she had inherited something from the Hudson side of her family, but because she had to face the truth; she had a crush.

And her crush was Optimus Prime.

She knew that just a few hours ago, she had hated his guts and thought that he was a serious old man. But after seeing his holoform and talking with him, she had begun to realize that he was a really thoughtful person and started yearning for a conversation with him free from any stress or Decepticons. Like how they had talked while driving to Sam's house.

The only problem was that she wasn't sure of him yet. She didn't know if he would leave Earth after he had retrieved the AllSpark, either leaving her alone and heartbroken or alone and waiting for him to return. She didn't know much about him, either. But she couldn't stop feeling concerned about him and having all of her spare waking thoughts turning to him... like they were now.

She felt Optimus reach full strength. In a few more seconds, he changed out of his alt mode, causing her to have to jump away for fear of being crushed.

"Sorry," Optimus said automatically, noticing what he had done. "Are you uninjured?"

She nodded. "Yeah," she replied. "Just thinking a bit." She looked up at him. "Can you start training with me? I want to be able to master my gift and actually be able to find the AllSpark without walking all around like an idiot."

Optimus, after hesitating for a brief second, nodded. "Sure," he agreed. He turned back into his alt mode and projected his holoform. Valerie adverted her eyes, wanting to have all of her senses about her when she focused. "How far away can you sense now?"

Valerie shrugged. "No clue," she told him honestly. "It extended pretty far when we were captured by S7. I've also been able to sense when you guys transform and tell which one of you is which. Was Henry able to do that?"

He shrugged, too. "He never talked much about it," he said. "All he told us was when he knew something was there."

"Then what did you teach him?" she demanded. She was still in a slightly bad mood, which might have caused her to be so short-tempered with Optimus.

However, Optimus seemed to understand and didn't snap back at her. "How to control his Transformium," he answered. "But it seems like that comes naturally to you."

Valerie pulled her Transformium out and looked at it again. "Well, can I get better at it?" she asked, tossing it from hand to hand and changing its shape every time it hit one of her hands.  
"I guess so," Optimus told her.

She rolled her eyes. "Are you certain about anything?" she said speculatively.

Optimus sighed. "Valerie, the Hudson gift is unique," he reminded her. "No other human (or Cybertronian, for that matter) has ever been able to do anything like this. We're shooting in the dark now."

"And Henry said absolutely nothing about his gift and what he could sense?" she asked. He nodded, and she let out a groan. "So I need to figure this out myself."

He put his hand on her shoulder. "We're figuring this out together," he corrected her. "You're not alone, Valerie. We'll all help you figure out how to use your gift."

She took a deep breath and met his eyes. Instantly she felt her heart start beating rapidly. She looked away quickly. What was wrong with her? She never fell for anyone this quickly... she had just met him a few hours ago and hated him for the first half hour she had known him!

"Thanks," she said. He massaged her shoulders, which instantly made her feel better. She hadn't realized how tense she had been. "Let's start working."

A few hours later, the other Autobots had recharged, and they were all planning. Valerie had worked herself close to death during her practice with Optimus and had expanded her range to about twenty miles. He had forced her to stop when she had started swaying on her feet. About half an hour after that, the other Autobots had woken up, and Valerie had convinced the suddenly overprotective Prime to let her contribute to their meeting.

"The Cube is hidden in the Hoover Dam," Ratchet announced. "I've been studying the map."  
Valerie sent him an uncertain look. "I've been to the Hoover Dam, like, five times," she told him. "And I've never _ever_ felt anything from there."

Optimus, who was still in his holoform, put his hand on her shoulder comfortingly, causing some of the Autobots' eyebrows to raise. "Maybe you were too young then. Or you needed prolonged exposure to Transformium to activate your powers. Like I said before, we're guessing about you," he reassured her, causing Ratchet and Ironhide to share a look.

"Yeah, yeah, sure," Valerie muttered, not satisfied. "I still think I should have felt something."

"If you did, you wouldn't have known what it was that you were feeling," Optimus reminded her. "Valerie, not everything is on your shoulders because you're the only one who can sense Transformium." Valerie took a deep breath, and Optimus turned to the other Autobots. "We need a plan."

Jazz instantly started rattling off some plans that mostly ended with him storming the dam single-handedly and grabbing the Cube. Valerie and the others ignored him, knowing that most of them would fail. She leaned into Optimus, and he wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders. Jazz, seeing what was going on between his leader and the human femme, trailed off. Ironhide and Ratchet stared.

"What?" she demanded, her long-absent rebellious personality coming back to her. "Are you guys looking at something interesting?"

Ironhide let out a cough. "No," he told her unconvincingly.

Valerie smirked. "That's what I thought," she agreed. "Now, back to planning. I think that I should go in by myself."

"No," Optimus and Jazz said together. "It's too dangerous," Optimus continued. "You're human."

She glared at him. "I have the Transformium," she told him. "I'll be fine. Besides, it'll look a little strange if four cars roll into town by themselves with one teenage girl with them! C'mon, guys! It makes the most sense to send me alone!" Her statements were met with silence, and she turned to Optimus. "You said you wanted the Cube. I can possibly help get it for you."

"It's the 'possibly' that makes me uncertain," Optimus replied. "I don't want you to get hurt in there. You've only started training with the Transformium today."

Valerie rolled her eyes. "Then you'll come with me!" she exclaimed. "Holoforms, right?"

The Autobots shared an uncertain look. They all liked the brave human who had become one of them during twenty four hours and didn't want to see her dead. But she had a point; she could help get the Cube easier.

"Look here," Valerie continued. "If you really want the Cube as much as you say, you'll let me go in. Okay? I'm able to defend myself."

Optimus's blue eyes instantly clouded. "Not against the Decepticons," he told her. "They're merciless. If they're at the Cube's location, you'll see people gunned down in front of you. Innocent people. Do you really want to see that? Also, how do we know if you'll keep your head if something like that happens?"

Valerie's eyes widened and filled with tears at the Prime's accusations. Her mind instantly flashed back to when she had seen her mother killed. A lot of innocent people had been killed as she watched; her mother had been one of them! And she had kept her head! She had ran with her dad instead of screaming on the top of her lungs and refusing to leave her mother's side!

"Be like that," she snapped, turning on her heels and walking away. "Tell me when we're leaving, then." When she was close to loosing the signal of the Autobots, she stopped and started attacking the trees that were near her with her Transformium.

After a few more minutes, she heard human footsteps behind her. The person was emitting a slight Transformium signature, so Valerie assumed that it was Optimus's holoform. She ignored him and attacked the tree with even more vigor.

"Valerie..." Optimus said. She ignored him. "Valerie, I know I said something wrong, but I don't know what. If you don't want me to say something like that again, you're going to have to tell me why you got so upset."

She stopped attacking the tree and turned to him. "Why don't you ask the 'World Wide Web?'" she demanded angrily. "Apparently that's where you learn everything, including your bluntness, because that _sucks_!"

Optimus walked up to her and took his hands in hers. "Valerie, please," he murmured. "I didn't mean to say anything that would get you upset. I'm sorry."

Valerie turned to him. "You know what happened to my mother?" she snapped. "She was killed in a shooting! I saw it all, _Prime_! I was right next to her!" Optimus flinched as she called him "Prime", a sure sign that he had probably ruined their friendship. "I let my dad pull me away from her dying body so that we wouldn't get killed! It killed me inside, but I knew that I needed to do it to survive! I'm pretty sure that I can keep my head if people who I don't know get killed in front of me!"

For a few seconds, Optimus was quiet, not knowing what to tell her. "I'm sorry," he finally said quietly, looking away from her angry eyes. "I didn't know."

"I know you didn't," she replied bitterly.

Once again, Valerie rendered Optimus speechless. He was amazed by this human femme, who was so full of spirit and fire. Her personality wasn't stable; sometimes she could be a rebel, but sometimes she could be so focused and serious on a task, making her somewhat unpredictable. But he could tell one thing; she was loyal. Extremely loyal.

He took a deep breath and looked her in the eyes again. "I'll let you go in by yourself, if that's what you want," he decided. "But you have to promise me to be careful, okay? I don't want to loose you."

Valerie nodded. "I promise," she agreed. She took a deep breath. "Sorry for getting mad at you, Optimus. You just brought up a touchy subject for me."

"It's my fault. If I knew what you'd been through, I wouldn't have even brought it up," he told her. "Still friends?"

She nodded again. "Still friends," she said. "C'mon, we got a Cube to find."


	9. Chapter 9

Valerie looked at the Autobots, all parked by the Hoover Dam in their alt modes. She knew that this could possibly be the last time she saw them, since she didn't know exactly what she was getting herself into, but she took a deep breath and fingered her Transformium for good luck.

Before she could turn and head down to the dam, Optimus's door opened, and his holoform stepped out. She turned to him, and he put his hands on her shoulders and locked eyes with her. "Come back," he said. "That's an order, okay?" She smiled slightly and hugged him quickly before turning and walking away, feeling his eyes on her back. Her feelings for the Prime were growing. She wondered whether or not that was good.

After what seemed like forever, she entered the dam. Despite what the glasses said about the location of the Cube, Valerie couldn't feel any Transformium in the dam. She frowned and walked around the dam, trying to feel anything besides the signatures of the Autobots in the parking lot. Nothing.

Her powers were working, that was certain. Something must have been shielding the signal of the AllSpark, if that was even possible. She suddenly felt a brief flash of Transformium coming from the area with the generators that disappeared in a second. Without hesitation, she dove into the nearest elevator before the doors closed, causing the people in the elevator to give her strange looks. "What?" she asked. "Never seen a person hurry to catch a tour?" They looked away, and the guide started yapping about the history of the dam. Valerie started dozing off.

"... some government groups still work in a different part of the dam," she heard the tour guide say, causing Valerie's head to snap up. Government groups... it was a stretch, but was S7 located in the dam? And did that mean that they had the Cube?

The second the elevator doors opened, Valerie shot out and left the tour group. She was able to locate the area where she had felt the Transformium coming from and saw that it was behind giant doors. Valerie instantly understood what was going on- S7 worked behind closed doors that kept the signal of the Transformium inside. She had probably felt something before because someone had opened the doors. Now, if she could get in without attracting attention, that would be great.

Unfortunately, she couldn't say _bibbidi bobbidi boo_ and walk through walls.

Valerie stepped away from the doors as soldiers poured out of another elevator and headed in the direction of the doors. She saw a man type something into a concealed keypad, and the doors opened. The soldiers slipped in without anyone noticing besides Valerie.

She walked up to the doors and guessed from the sounds coming from the keypad which numbers the soldier had pressed. The doors slid open, and Valerie slipped in wordlessly.

"NBE's?" the black soldier that Sam had learned was named Epps asked with a blank expression.

Simmons didn't even look at him. "Non-biological extraterrestrials," he answered. "Try and keep up with the acronyms."

Sam shared a glance with Mikaela. Ever since they had been separated from the Autobots, they had been brought by helicopter with two people named Maggie and Glen to the Hoover Dam, where they had met up with Simmons, his boss Banachek, the Secretary of Defense Keller, and two soldiers named Lennox and Epps. Sam felt like he had heard of Lennox before but couldn't place it.

They were now being given a tour of the dam, and Sam felt like he would explode if he stayed in the same room with Simmons for any longer. The guy was annoying, first of all, and second of all, Sam didn't know where Valerie was. He was concerned about her and hoped that she wouldn't try anything rash with the Autobots. Sam knew that they had the glasses now and had probably found the AllSpark instead of going after him and Mikaela, but he didn't know what Valerie would do. If she stormed into the dam all by herself and got herself killed, he would kill her.

"What you're about to see is extremely classified," Banachek told them as a giant door opened. Sam looked up to see a deactivated Megatron standing in the middle of the giant room. His mouth dropped open.

Keller looked impressed. "Dear God, what is this?" he muttered.

Banachek answered. "We think that when he made his approach over the North Pole, our gravitational field screwed up his telemetry" he said. "He crashed into the ice, probably a few thousand years ago. We shipped him here to this facility in 1934."

"We call him NBE- One," Simmons added.

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Well, sir, I don't mean to correct you on everything you think you know, but, I mean, that's Megatron. He's the leader of the Decepticons."

Banchek waved his hand, like, _whatever_. "He's been in cryostasis since 1935. Your great-grandfather made one of the greatest discoveries in the history of mankind."

"Fact is, you're looking at the source of the modern age. The microchip, lasers, spaceflight, cars, all reverse-engineered by studying him," Simmons told them.

Banachek nodded. "Until these events, we had no credible threat to national security," he said.  
"Well, you got one now," Keller reminded him.

Lennox spoke. "So why Earth?" he asked.

Before anyone could answer, the giant doors that they had closed a few minutes ago banged open loudly. A lone figure strode through them, gun raised and pointed out in front of her. The most remarkable thing about her was her multicolored hair.

"Let them go!" Valerie shouted. She pointed the gun at Simmons. "Or I shoot him!"

Sam smirked. "She's not joking," he told them. "She threatened to shoot a cop in the dick a few days ago."

"How did she get in here?" Simmons demanded.

Sam shrugged. "She has her ways," he answered. "My guess is that she wants in on the tour."

Then Valerie caught sight of Lennox. She let the gun fall to her side and ran up to him, giving him a hug. "Uncle Will!" she exclaimed. The slightly shocked soldier hugged her back.

"Valerie! What are you doing here?" he asked when she let him go.

But she had seen Epps, as well, and hugged him just as tightly. "Uncle Rob!" she said happily. She looked around. "Is my dad here? He was posted in Qatar with you guys, right?"

Lennox and Epps shared a glance, which caused her smile to slide off her face. "Guys?" she asked. "Where's my dad?"

"I'm sorry, kiddo," Lennox finally said, his eyes guilty. "He sacrificed himself to protect me."

Valerie felt her eyes fill with tears. Her dad wasn't coming home... Lennox placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. For a while, nobody said anything.

Simmons cleared his throat. "So why Earth, you asked?" he asked. Lennox sent him a glare that told him to shut up, and he clamped his mouth shut, remembering the red and blue robot's threat about him harming that particular girl again.

After a few more minutes, Valerie pulled herself together. She looked up at Sam and smiled slightly at him. Sam gave her a slight smile back, and Mikaela ran up to her and hugged her. Valerie gave her a brief hug, but then turned to the others.

"The Decpticons want the AllSpark," she told them.

Keller gave her a blank look. "The AllSpark?" he asked. "What's that?"

Sam answered. "Well, yeah, they came here looking for some sort of cube-looking thing. Anyway, Mister NBE- One here, aka Megatron (that's what they call him, who's pretty much the harbinger of death) wants to use the Cube to transform human technology to take over the universe. That's their plan."

Simmons gave him a speculative look. "And you're sure about that?" he said. Sam nodded. "Then where does she come in?" He pointed to Valerie. "That red and blue guy seemed awfully protective of her."

"Valerie has her own story," Sam replied. "One that I'm not going to tell you without her permission."

He glanced at Valerie, and she took a deep breath. "Might as well tell you," she said. "The Hudsons have a natural ability to sense Transformium, which is the metal that NBE- One and basically all of his kind is made out of. I found out about the aliens the same time as Sam and Mikaela, and I'm using my powers to help them find the Cube." She glanced around the dam. "You did something to the dam so that I don't sense the Transformium here unless a door is open or I'm in the same room as it."

Simmons nodded. "We built the dam to keep NBE- One and our crown jewel from being detected by anyone or any alien species on the outside."

Valerie's eyes narrowed. "Does your crown jewel happen to be the Cube?" she asked.

Banachek took a deep breath. "Follow me," he said, and they left the room with Megatron. The second the doors closed behind them, Valerie didn't sense Megatron anymore. She was relieved; the dude let out bad vibes.

They entered the room right next to Megatron's, and Valerie's eyes widened as she felt a strong pull coming from the Cube. It was in the middle of the room and was the size of a house. How was she supposed to get that back to Optimus?

"Carbon dating puts the Cube here around ten thousand BC," Banachek told them. "The first Seven didn't find it until 1913. They knew it was alien because of the matching hieroglyphics on the Cube as well as NBE- One. President Hoover had the dam built around it."

Valerie nodded, but the blonde lady (who she thought was named Maggie) spoke up. "Wait, back up. You said that the dam hides the Cube's energy. What kind exactly?"

"Well, the signal that Transformium lets out that I sense," Valerie answered. She turned to Banachek. "But that's not the only energy it shields, is it?"

Banachek shook his head. "Please step inside," he said, gesturing to a room off to the side. "They have to lock us in."

Everyone entered the room. Valerie felt a little concerned about being locked in close quarters with Banachek and Simmons, but she had to know what they were talking about; Optimus had never told her about energy that the Cube let out. She also wasn't about to let Sam and Mikaela, two unarmed and innocent people, to go into that situation alone.

When she looked around the room, Valerie instantly reached for her Transformium, which she had changed back into its original metal. There were scratches all around the room, causing her to think that something had happened in the room that she didn't want to know about. The doors closed and locked behind her.

"Oh, wow," the black man, Glen, muttered.

Uncle Rob looked around. "What's that?" he asked. "Freddy Krueger done been up in here or something?" Valerie snorted.

Glen started laughing. "Oh, no, man," he said. "Freddy Krueger have four blades, man. That's only three. That's Wolverine! Right? That's Wolverine!"

Simmons glared. "That's very funny," he told them unemotionally. "anybody have any mechanical devices? BlackBerry? Key alarm? Cell phone?"

"I got a phone," Glen answered. He pulled out his phone and gave it to Simmons. Valerie instantly got a bad feeling as Simmon's placed the phone inside a box. He connected a wire that led from the Cube outside to the box that he had placed the phone inside. Simmons passed out goggles, which everyone put on besides Valerie, and bright flashes started coming from the phone. Everyone besides Valerie flinched from the brightness, but Valerie stared on, her face stoic.

Simmons started speaking. "We're able to take the Cube radiation and funnel it into that box," he said. He flicked a switch, and the phone transformed into a tiny Transformer. Valerie assumed that because of its red eyes, it was a Decepticon. It pulled out a small gun and started to shoot the glass box, trying to get out. However, the glass must have been too strong, because it stayed inside the box.

"Mean little sucker, huh?" Simmons asked. "Kind of like the itty-bitty Energizer Bunny from hell, huh?"

"It's cute," Valerie commented, causing everyone to stare at her like she had grown a second head. "What? It's all nice and tiny and small and... yeah, never mind."

The small robot shot a mini rocket that hit the corner. It tried to break free of the box again, pulling out all the stops.

"Oh, he's breaking the box," Simmons observed, watching cracks start to form. He reached for the switch that he used to bring the little robot to life. Valerie assumed that it would kill the tiny robot.

She turned her Transformium into nunchucks again and hit Simmons's hand away from the switch. "Leave it alone," she snapped. "It's done nothing to you."

"That's what you say now," Simmons replied. "Watch that thing do something nasty later that will cause you to regret saving it."

Sam stepped in. "And you can tell it's a Decepticon," he added.

Valerie rolled his eyes. "I know _that_ ," she told them, exasperated. "But innocent until proven guilty, right?"

Everyone looked at her speculatively. "We're seeing it destroy a box," Simmons reminded her. He would have to watch his step around this girl; he didn't want the red-and-blue NBE to go after him because of his treatment of the strange multicolored hair.

"Why don't we train it?" she suggested. Suddenly, the glass of the box broke, and the little bot jumped out, shooting small bullets out like nuts. Lennox instinctively pushed Valerie behind him, protecting her.

Simmons glared at her as he ran from the phone bot. "Still think it's cute?" he snapped.

The bot jumped at Lennox, looking deadly. Since nobody had any weapons on them, the humans were basically defenseless and couldn't defend the soldier.

Except for Valerie. She changed her Transformium into a small handgun and shot at the phone in quick succession. In a few seconds, the bot was dead, and Valerie was staring at the gun in her hand like it was poison. "I killed someone," she muttered. "I killed someone."

"Something," Simmons corrected harshly. Lennox sent him a glare as he gave Valerie a hug, and Simmons gulped.

Suddenly, the whole base started shaking. Valerie looked up, her grip tightening on the gun. Everyone in the room then glanced at each other. "Gentlemen, they know that the Cube's here," Keller announced.

Valerie nodded. "I can't believe I didn't sense it before. What you use to shield the energy of the Cube probably works the other way around, but not as well. It seems like he's a few miles away, but I'm guessing he's pretty close if he's taken out the power grid."

"Who?" Banachek asked.

She fixed him with a serious expression. "Starscream, the second in command of the Decepticons," she answered.

Simmons glared. "And how do you know that?" he said.

"Because I can sense it, you idiot," Valerie snapped.

Before Simmons could reply, a S7 technician entered the room. "The NBE- One hanger has lost power," he reported. "And the backup generator isn't going to cut it."

"Your backup generator is screwy, then," Valerie told him.

She was ignored. "Everyone, into the NBE-One chamber now!" Banachek ordered.


	10. Chapter 10

They entered the arms room, where there were multiple S7 cars and boxes of what Valerie assumed were guns. "40 millimeter sabot rounds on that table!" Simmons said, pointing at the table he meant.

"That's good," Lennox told him as Valerie nodded. "Get all the ammo you got. Everything you can carry. Bring it."

Another rumble shook the dam, and everyone froze. Nobody said anything until Simmons dropped something on the ground.

"You gotta take me to my car," Sam finally said. "You have to take me to my car. He's gonna know what to do with the Cube."

Simmons scoffed. "Your car?" he repeated. "It's confiscated."

"Then unconfiscate it," Valerie snapped. "His car can save the human race from being killed by robots, for God's sake! Just take us to the car!"

He shook his head. "We don't know what will happen if we let it near this thing!" he protested angrily.

"You just wanna sit here and wait and see what happens?" Sam demanded, sounding pissed.

Simmons shook his head again. "I have people's lives at stake here, young man!" he said.

Before anyone could blink, Lennox shoved Simmons into a nearby vehicle, putting his elbow on Simmons's throat and pinning him to the car. "Take him to his car!" he shouted.

Soon it seemed like everyone was pointing a gun at another person. Valerie was standing in front of Sam and Mikaela, who had no weapons and aiming her gun at Simmons. She really wanted to "flinch" and "accidentally pull the trigger", but she had a feeling that if she did that, the five agents who had guns on her would kill her in a second. "Calm down, everyone," Valerie said, looking specifically at her uncle and Simmons.

"You're holding a gun, too!" one of the S7 agents who was pointing a gun at Lennox. shouted.

Lennox glared at the S7 agent. "Drop it," he ordered.

"Drop your weapon, soldier," Simmons told Lennox. "There's an alien war going on and you're gonna shoot me?"

Valerie frowned. "We didn't ask to be here," she reminded him. "I'd much rather be at home right now and going about my own small-town life. I think all of us would like that. But we're not."

"I'm ordering you under S7 executive jurisdiction," Simmons snapped, narrowing his eyes at them.

Epps glared. "S7 don't exist," he reminded Simmons. Valerie smirked.

Lennox nodded. "Right," he agreed. "And we don't take orders from people that don't exist."

"I'm gonna count to five," Simmons told them.

Valerie walked forward, the guns moving with her. "Well, we're counting to three," Valerie replied. "How 'bout that?"

"Simmons?" Keller said. "I'd do what he says. Losing's really not an option for these guys."

He sighed. "All right. Okay. Hey, you want to lay the fate of the world on the kid's Camaro? That's cool," he replied. Lennox let Simmons go (a bit unwillingly) and pushed him towards the door. Simmons walked out of the room, keeping a wary eye on Valerie and Lennox as he did. The others followed him.

As they walked towards the room that Bee was being held in, Valerie heard squeals of pain that she could tell were from Bee. She poked Simmons to move forward. "Hurry up," she snapped. "And I'm telling you, if you ever try something like this again, I'm going to tell Optimus on you, is that clear? You know, the red and blue guy?" Simmons gulped nervously and sped up, causing Valerie to smirk again.

After a few seconds, they opened the doors of the room, and Valerie saw Bee chained like Megatron had been. There were humans surrounding him, observing his reactions to different things.

"Stand by!" a S7 agent shouted. "Stand by!"

Sam strode in angrily. "No, no! Stop! You gotta stop! Stop! Stop! Stop!" he exclaimed, waving his hands in the air to get everyone's attention."

Valerie hurried into the room and yanked one of the men away from Bee. "Let him go!" Valerie snapped angrily.

Bee, seeing them, drew his cannons and pointed them at the agents. "Listen!" Sam told him. "The Cube is here and the Decepticons are coming." Bee pulled down his battle mask.

"Calm down, Bee," Valerie said.

Sam talked to the agents. "Just back up a bit," he ordered. "He's friendly. He's fine. Okay, c'mon. Put the guns down. They're not going to hurt you." Then he turned to Bee. "Come with me. I'm gonna take you to the AllSpark."

Bee seemed to relax.. His battle mask slid up, and he lowered his cannons. "Hey, Bee," Valerie said. "Good to see you again."

They all headed to the AllSpark. The instant they entered the room, Bee headed to the AllSpark and placed his hands on it. "Alright, he's doing something," Epps observed. The Cube started shrinking and was soon the same size as a basketball.

"Oh my god," Mikaela muttered.

Bumbebee turned to Valerie, Sam, and Mikaela. "Message from Starfleet, Captain," he told them. "Let's get to it."

Lennox nodded. "He's right," he agreed. "We stay here, we're screwed with Megatron in the other hangar. Mission City is twenty two miles away. We're gonna sneak that Cube out of here and we're gonna hide it somewhere in the city. But we can't make a stand without the Air Force. Sir, you got to figure out some way to get word out of them. Let's move!"

Before any of them could act, the loudspeakers started squawking. "Warning!" it said. "NBE- One cryotainment failing!"

"Hurry, hurry!" Lennox ordered the teens, shoving them into Bee as the engineers began evacuating the NBE- One chamber.

Valerie looked at Lennox. "I'll see you again?" she asked. He nodded. "Promise?"

"You bet, kiddo," he replied. Valerie remembered the night before he had been first posted in Qatar, when he and her father had been promised that they would return home. Then she nodded and slipped in the car. The second she slammed the door closed beside her, Bee shot off, driving at top speeds to Mission City.

They had been driving in silence for a few minutes wen Valerie felt the Autobots moving towards them at fast speeds. A few seconds later, she felt another familiar presence moving towards them, but it wasn't a friendly one. It was the same cop that had fought with Bee and that Valerie had stabbed in the eye. She could also sense two other Decepticons with him, and they were much bulkier than the cop was.

"Let me out," Valerie ordered automatically. She waited for Bee to slow, but he didn't. "Bee, I'm telling you, let me out. The Autobots won't get here before the police car attacks. I'll slow him down and catch a ride to Mission City with the rest of the Autobots." The car kept moving, and Valerie groaned. "Sam, tell Bee to stop and let me out."

Sam held up his hands. "Don't get me into this," he said.

Valerie tried forcing the door open, but Bee stayed stubbornly closed. "Bee!" Valerie snapped. "He's getting closer and he's not stopping! Let me OUT!" When Bee didn't move, she rolled down the window and wiggled out of it, climbing onto the top of the car.

Sam stuck his head out. "Valerie!" he shouted, but she ignored him.

There were three Decepticons heading towards them. The cop car was in front and attempting to make space for him and the others by using his sirens. The other two, however, were forcing their way through and crushing anything that got in their way. Valerie knew that she had to stop them before they killed more innocent people.

"Bee, get the Cube to Mission City!" she ordered. The car let out a squeak of protest, but Valerie ignored him and slid off of the roof, rolling forward when she hit the ground so that she didn't break her ankle. She turned to make sure that Bee had continued on. When she saw that he had, she turned to the three Decepticons.

Valerie took her Transformium out of her pocket and changed it into a gun. Without hesitation, she shot the cop car (who was leading) in the tires, causing him to have to slow. The other two almost ran into him. A Decepticon that looked like a tank shot at her, but she had already run and taken cover behind a parked car. The bullets ended up shooting a light close to her. Valerie stuck her head up from behind the car and shot at the tank's tires, causing it to slow, as well. Soon, only the other vehicle (Valerie couldn't exactly tell what type of vehicle it was) was moving.

The two damaged Decepticons transformed, causing nearby people to start screaming. Valerie stood up and waved her hands in the air. "Hey!" she shouted. The Decepticons turned to her, and she shot the cop car in the same eye that she had stabbed him in. "Remember me?"

He lifted its cannon and was about to shoot at her, but Valerie ran away from the car that she had been hiding behind and ducked behind the next one. The cop car shot that one, as well, but she had moved behind the next one already. "Come out and fight, little human!" the cop car roared angrily.

"Yeah, right!" Valerie told him. She knew that she didn't need to fight him; she just needed to keep them occupied until the Autobots came. "Why don't you come and find me?"

The cop car growled and walked towards her. Valerie gulped; she hadn't expected it to actually do what she had suggested. She shot at him again, causing him to roar in anger. He was just about to lunge onto the car that she was hiding behind when her Transformium lighted up like it had in the junkyard when she had first found it. White light expanded from it, cocooning her. The cop car ran straight into it, but he bounced off with a howl of pain. Valerie, not knowing what exactly had happened, tried to control the light. She focused it in front of her, and it formed a protective shield in front of her. Cautiously, she inched forward with the shield in front of her. The cop car watched her warily.

When she was a few feet away, the cop car struck out with a sword. The sword hit Valerie's shield, and Valerie felt the force that the cop car was pushing down onto the shield with. Valerie pushed back, and somehow the shield stayed in the same place, despite how hard the cop car was pushing.

They stayed like that for a while, each one trying to overpower the others. Valerie's arms started shaking, and she sensed the other two Decepticons sneaking around her. She started panicking; if she broke the lock that she had with the cop car, he would definitely kill her, but if she didn't, the others would kill her. She was dead both ways.

Suddenly, she heard a roar, and a giant blue and red figure plowed into the cop car. Valerie, recognizing Optimus, turned around and used the light still coming from the Transformium to attack the other two Decepticons. It seemed that exposure to the light was extremely painful to Transformers, because when she hit the tank with it, he howled and turned back into a tank, rolling away. Before he could get far, however, Optimus broke away from his fight to shoot the Decepticon, then turned back to the one he was fighting.

Valerie turned to the other Decepticon. This one was warier now that he had seen what her light could do. He lunged forward experimentally, and Valerie flinched away. Now confident that he scared her, the other Decepticon came forward, blades whirring in front of him. Valerie raised her shield to meet them, and the Decepticon's swords bounced off. She struck out with her light and treated it like a rope, wrapping it around his neck. With a mighty tug, the light severed the chords connecting its head to its body. Valerie grimaced as it rolled to the ground.

"Ew," she stated.

There was a shout from behind her. "Valerie!" Optimus shouted. "Watch out!" Valerie turned and saw the cop car running towards her, Optimus in pursuit and his gun pointing at the cop car, while the cop car's gun was pointed at Valerie. She instantly moved her shield in front of her, and the police car's bullets bounced off to the side.

The cop car, now close enough, drew his swords and lunged at her. Before she could relax, Optimus was between them, his sword meeting the cop car's. However, because of Optimus's bad angle, the cop car was able to overpower him and give him a deep cut on the arm.

Valerie gasped. "Optimus!" Valerie exclaimed, instantly concerned. She threw her shield between Optimus and the cop car, giving Optimus a chance to get out of the battle and rest. However, he didn't move and stood behind the shield, glaring at the cop car.

"Listen to me," Optimus growled. "If you so much as touch this girl, you will have to answer to me. Do you understand?" Valerie gave him a strange look, wondering why he was acting so protective of her. Did he like her back?

It really wasn't a good idea to be thinking about your love life in the middle of a battle.

Valerie used her shield to push the cop car back, away from Optimus. Eventually, sensing that the battle was lost, the cop car turned back into a car and drove away. Valerie was about to go after him, but Optimus stopped her. "Let him go," he told her gently.

"Why?" she asked. "He almost killed you!"

He maintained eye contact with her. "I want the Decepticons to know that you are under my protection," he answered. Then he winced, rubbing the gash that the cop car had given him.  
Valerie stepped forward. "Let me try something," she said. "I took a wielding class forever ago." She turned her Transformium into a blowtorch and tested it. Once she was sure that it worked, she moved it towards Optimus's arm.

Soon Optimus's arm was sloppily wielded back together. It wasn't perfect, but Valerie wasn't a medic. Hopefully it would hold up until they got to Ratchet. Optimus transformed, throwing open his door, and he and Valerie headed towards Mission City to get the Cube.


	11. Chapter 11

Valerie climbed out of Optimus's cab once they reached Mission City. She instantly saw the devastation on the streets and knew that it was the work of the Decepticons. She shot a glance at Optimus. "Are we too late?" she asked him.

"No," Optimus told her. He sounded confident, but Valerie could tell that he was trying to convince himself as well as her. "I do not believe we are."

As if on cue, Megatron came barreling into sight. Optimus's eyes narrowed, and his battle mask slid up. Valerie knew that this was something that Optimus needed to do himself.

Valerie started leaving. "Optimus," she muttered. "Be careful." He gave her a quick glance and nodded.

"I will," he reassured her. Then he turned to Megatron. "Megatron!"

Megatron caught sight of Optimus and sneered. "Prime!" he shouted back. Megatron turned into his alt mode (a Cybertronian jet) and flew straight towards Optimus. Optimus jumped and caught Megatron in midair. In an attempt to shake Optimus off, Megatron flew into the corner of a nearby building. He barrel rolled, and they slammed into an office building. People inside started screaming as Optimus and Megatron continued to fight.

Meanwhile, Valerie had caught up with Sam, Ironhide, and Ratchet, who had the Cube. She had no clue what was going on but knew that if she couldn't fight with Optimus, she would at least destroy the Cube so that he didn't have to merge it with his Spark. "Keep moving, Sam!" Ironhide ordered. "Don't stop!"

Another Decepticon came into sight, and he used a rotor blade to cut a nearby yellow car in half. "Crap," Valerie muttered. "Hey, Sam, do you think that we could use that blade as a butter knife at home? Cause I hate actual butter knives." Sam rolled his eyes but didn't reply, choosing to keep his breath.

Starscream swooped down, shooting missiles at Ironhide, who avoided them. Valerie changed her Transformium into a gun and started shooting back, and eventually Starscream turned around and flew away.

"Ha!" Valerie shouted after him. "Take that, you wimp! Didn't think we could scare you off, huh?"

Ironhide cut her off before she could say more. "Valerie, don't draw his attention here," he ordered.

"Sorry," Valerie muttered, but she didn't sound sorry at all.

Megatron suddenly flew towards them and threw a car this was in his path away. "Give me that Cube, boy!" he roared.

"Wait, wasn't he fighting Optimus?" Valerie asked. "So where's Optimus? He's not... dead, right?"

Ironhide shook his head. "Not now," he told her. "We need to get the Cube to safety. Sam, get to the building!"

Valerie and Sam ran away from the Autobots, Sam holding the Cube. "Don't drop it!" Valerie warned as they ran around cars in an attempt to get to whatever building Ironhide had been talking about (Valerie had been absent for their planning session and assumed that they had settled on a plan then). So she let Sam lead.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a nearby Mountain Dew vending machine transform and shoot rockets that looked like... soda bottles?

"Ooooookay," Valerie muttered, deciding not to comment about that. Suddenly, Sam made a sharp left, and Valerie almost skidded in an attempt to turn around at the speed that she was running at.

Sam threw open the doors of the tallest building around. "You're not gonna get me! You're not gonna get me!" he repeated under his breath as they started running up the stairs.

Suddenly, Megatron burst into the building. Valerie, who had been running up the stairs behind Sam, launched herself at him and pushed him to the ground so that Megatron didn't see them right away. "I smell you, boy!" Megatron roared. Valerie pushed Sam forward, urging him to move forward slowly. He started crawling, and when Megatron decided to start shooting up the room, Valerie used the noise as a distraction and ran up the stairs, Sam close behind her. She slowed and let Sam go in front of her so that she could keep an eye on him and the Cube.

Eventually, they made it to the top, out of breath. A group of Black Hawk helicopters were circling the area, and Valerie assumed that it was trying to find them. She turned her Transformium into a flare gun and shot it up into the air. The helicopters turned in their direction, and soon one of the men in them were holding their hands out for the Cube.

"We've got the boy," the man said into his radio. Sam was about to hand the Cube over, but Valerie sensed a nearing Decepticon presence and tackled Sam to the ground, yanking the Cube out of the soldier's grasp and protecting Sam. Starscream swooped out of nowhere, shooting at the helicopters. The one that had the soldier in it got hit and spiraled to the ground.

Valerie let out a curse as the tail of the Black Hawk hit the building. That had been their extraction. She turned back to the door that had led out onto the roof just as Megatron came bursting onto the roof.

"Is it fear or courage that compels you, fleshlings?" Megatron asked. Valerie bit back the retort that she had on the tip of her tongue and decided that silence was better in this case. "Give me the Cube and I'll spare you, little humans!"

Valerie glanced at Sam, who had looked ready to wet his pants five seconds ago. But now, in the face of danger, his expression hardened. "I will never give you the AllSpark!" he shouted.

Megatron's eyes narrowed. "Oh, so unwise," he said in mock disappointment. Sam's face turned back to the I'm-gonna-wet-my-pants expression.

She felt a familiar, welcoming presence coming closer to them. "Sam..." Valerie muttered. She knew that Optimus was rushing to get to them, but she had no way to tell Sam that without Megatron overhearing.

"Thanks for always being there for me, Valerie," Sam told her. Valerie almost rolled her eyes when she realized that the idiot thought that Optimus would actually let them die.

Before she could reply, Megatron used his mace to destroy the corner of the roof that Sam and Valerie were standing on. Valerie let out a scream as she saw the ground growing closer and closer to them. The fear that had been absent during the past few hours caught up with her, and Valerie felt more afraid than she ever had in her life. Her powers stopped working; it must have had something to do with her fear.

So when she and Sam landed in a giant metal hand, it was a total shock to her.

"I got you," Optimus reassured them.

Valerie, fear instantly gone now that she was in the presence of someone she trusted, looked up at him. "Are you okay?" she asked immediately. "I was worried when Megatron came running in because I thought he had killed you and-"

Optimus cut her off. "I'm fine," he told her. His face mask slid down, and he began climbing down the walls of the building by jumping from one building to the other in a zigzag pattern. "I was... momentarily detained."

She didn't even want to ask what that meant.

Now that she wasn't scared, her powers came back with a slam, and Valerie took a sharp intake of breath as she felt all the presences of the Transformers again. Most noticeable was the hostile one coming towards them.

"Megatron's coming!" she warned, and about half a second after she had warned Optimus, Megatron rammed into them, causing them all to fall towards the ground.

When Valerie felt Optimus land on the ground from her and Sam's nest in his hands, she instantly looked around. Megatron was flicking a few humans out of the way about a block away.

Optimus set her and Sam down on the ground. "Sam, Valerie, you have both risked your lives to protect the Cube," he said. "If I cannot defeat Megatron, you must push the Cube into my chest. I will sacrifice myself to destroy it."

Sam was stunned speechless, but Valerie already knew that that was a possibility. "Optimus..." Valerie muttered, reaching out and touching him. She felt rare tears form in her eyes and start silently falling down. But she couldn't help it; she couldn't picture a world without the majestic Prime even though she had only known him for a day. "We need you."

"Valerie, you will not survive if the Cube is not destroyed," Optimus told her. "I must do this."

She groaned. "There has to be another way!" she exclaimed. "You can't... it can't... Ugh!"

Optimus's blue optics met her eyes. "This is something that I must do for the good of your race," he said. "And for you." Without giving her a chance to reply, he turned to Megatron. "It's just you and me, Megatron!" Optimus shouted.

"No," Megatron replied. "It's just me, Prime."

Optimus readied his weapons. "At the end of this day, one shall stand, one shall fall," he said. And then they charged at each other.

"Valerie, we have to get out of here," Sam said. " _Now_." He grabbed her wrist and pulled her away as she fought to stay by Optimus.

Suddenly, the ground shook from the missiles that had been dropped on some of the Decepticons by the Air Force. Valerie ducked her head to keep her eyes protected from the dust. Meanwhile, Megatron had kicked Optimus hard in the stomach, causing the Prime to fly into a building.

"No!" Valerie screamed. "Optimus!" She broke free from Sam's grasp and stood between Megatron and Optimus, her Transfrormium in her hand.

Megatron sneered. "And who is this?" he asked coldly. "Another human pet of Prime's?"

"My name," Valerie replied coldly, anger running through her veins, "is Valerie Hudson. And I'm nobody's pet."

Valerie felt her Transformium light up again, and she struck out at Megatron, who hadn't expected the searing pain that the light caused. He jumped back on contact with it and fell to the ground.

"A Hudson," Megatron said as he stood up again. "I should have known. You're probably the only reason Prime was able to find the Cube at all."

Behind Valerie, Optimus sat up weakly. "Valerie..." he said warningly. When she ignored him, Optimus turned to Megatron. "Your fight is with me, Megatron! Leave the girl alone!"

Megatron looked from Optimus to Valerie, a slightly confused expression on his face. Then he nodded. "Ah!" he exclaimed suddenly. "You care for her!" Then he started laughing. "I will make you watch her death before I kill you, Prime!" Then he lunged at Valerie, ready to kill her.

"No!" Sam shouted, and he rushed forward, the Cube held out in front of him. Before Optimus, Megatron, or Valerie could react, Sam shoved the Cube into Megatron's Spark.

The affect was instant. The Cube somehow disappeared, but Megatron was coughing and on his knees. It looked like he was choking. Finally, the leader of the Decepticons took his last breath.

"You left me no choice, brother," Optimus muttered as Lennox, the other soldiers, and the Autobots moved closer to them.  
Ironhide walked up to Optimus, holding two large pieces of metal, one under each arm. "We couldn't save him," he told Optimus. It was then that Valerie comprehended that it was Jazz that Ironhide was holding, and her hands flew to her mouth.

Optimus sighed. "Oh, Jazz," he muttered. Then he looked to everyone. "We lost a great comrade, but gained new ones. Even though what you did was very foolhardy," he said, glancing at Valerie in particular, "I owe you my life. Thank you. All of you. You honor us with your bravery."

After a few more things were settled, it was decided that Bee would stay with Sam and the last sliver of the AllSpark would be put under human protection. Valerie had also gotten a spot in N.E.S.T., the new government agency that worked with the Autobots. She would be taught by professors from Harvard so that she could still have a college education.

A few hours later, Optimus stood a little bit away from the rest of the Autobots, Sam, Valerie, and Mikaela in a grassy field, looking up at the sky. "With the AllSpark gone," he said to no one in particular, broadcasting to any other Autobots out there, "we cannot return life to our planet. And fate has yielded its reward; a new world to call home. We live amongst its people now, hiding in plain sight, but watching over them in secret, waiting, protecting. I have witnessed their capacity for courage... and love." Optimus glanced at Valerie, who was silently grieving the loss of Jazz as he said the last part. "And though we are worlds apart, like us, there's more to them than meets the eye. I am Optimus Prime, and I send this message to the surviving Autobots taking refuge among the stars. We are here. We are waiting."

Just as he finished, he heard a human walking up to him. Optimus looked down, expecting to see Valerie, but instead saw Sam walking up to him. "I see how you look at her," Sam told him.

"Excuse me?" Optimus asked, not knowing exactly what he meant.

"Valerie," Sam clarified. "You like her, don't you? You like her a lot."

Optimus took a deep breath. "She has a fiery spirit," he said. "I am amazed at her bravery and free spirit. She's unpredictable. It makes me wonder more about her... Yes, Sam, I guess you can say that I 'like' her."

Sam grinned. "Well, now that that's out of the way, you might want to listen up," he replied. "Because I've known her for six years, and I know _exactly_ how to get her..."


	12. Chapter 12

A Year after the Battle of Mission City

The Autobots in the hangar looked up from the weapon that they were trying to build on when the doors banged open. Valerie strode in, obviously angry.

"This," she announced, "is a nightmare."

Optimus spoke up. "What's a nightmare?" he asked. The other Autobots had to admire his courage to even talk to Valerie when she was in this state.

"The freaking prom, that's what!" she shouted at him. He flinched away. "It's _two freaking days away_ and I don't have a date, a dress, or any freaking plans!"

Optimus activated his holoform and walked up to her. "Why didn't you start planning before?" he said. Valerie glared at him, and he wisely didn't press her for answers.

"Did anybody ask you?" Ratchet asked tentatively.

Valerie glared at him. "What do you think?" she demanded. "I'm _only_ the _most popular girl_ in the school besides Mikaela. That _totally_ isn't reason enough for someone to ask me."

"So no one asked you?" Ironhide said. Valerie groaned and threw herself down on a human sized couch.

She looked up at the Autobots. "Do you guys understand sarcasm _at all_?" she asked. They shook their heads, and Valerie rolled her eyes. "Never mind, then." She turned to Optimus. "And to answer your question, I was too busy with my homework from school and N.E.S.T. training to even think about the prom 'till now."

"I thought I told you not to sign up for N.E.S.T.," Optimus commented.

Valerie rolled her eyes again. "For my safety, not time management," she reminded him. "You knew perfectly well that I could defend myself decently, even a year ago when I didn't have that training. There seriously is _no reason_ why I can't be in N.E.S.T."

During the year after the Battle of Mission City, Valerie had moved to live on the N.E.S.T. base, which was only a few miles away from her high school. She still attended her old school, and she would until she graduated (which was later on in the month). After school hours, Optimus would work with her on her skills with her powers and Transformium, or she would train with the Autobots and N.E.S.T. soldiers.

Her schedule was mostly packed between training and homework, but the other Autobots observed how she always made time for Optimus. In fact, the two of them had grown extremely close over the past year and could almost always be seen in each other's company. Every day, the Prime drove her to school in the mornings and picked her up in the afternoons without fail. At the base, Valerie would almost always be seen walking around with his holoform, sitting on his Autobot shoulder, or curled up in his truck's cab. Behind their backs, the Autobots had taken bets on how long it would take for them to get together. Sadly, that didn't seem to be happening any time soon.

"How about one of us goes with you?" Ironhide suggested.

Valerie grimaced. "That would be plain _weird_ ," she stated. "I think of you guys as, like, brothers or something! Just... ugh!" But even as she shuddered, she glanced at Optimus, who was staring determinedly at his feet, his face a bright red.

"Well, we can help out with the dress," Ratchet told her with an evil grin.

Valerie gave him a speculative look. "Should I be worried about that?" she asked him.

"Naw," Ironhide replied. "We got the dress."

Two days later, Valerie was being escorted into the same hanger by Optimus's holoform, who had his hands over her eyes. She didn't exactly enjoy having her eyes covered (she felt too vulnerable), but knew that Ratchet wanted to see her reaction to the dress. She heard the doors slide open with a hiss, and Optimus nudged her forward. Valerie took a few tentative steps forward, not wanting to trip and fall on her face because she couldn't see where she was putting her feet. After a few more steps (Valerie guessed that they were in the middle of the hangar), Optimus uncovered her eyes.

Valerie, the second her eyes were open, saw the dress that was on a manikin that had the same body shape as her. She let her eyes move up and down the dress, taking in the design and shape.

The dress hugged her body and showed off her curves until it got to the bottom, which flared out in ruffles. It also had spaghetti straps, and the back of the dress was bare, showing off her back. There was a V-neck that wasn't too revealing but showed enough for people to use their imaginations to picture the rest. The dress was mostly black, but when it got to the part where the ruffles flared, it gradually changed to the same shade of blue as the Autobot's eyes. It had a few glitter trails that formed swirling patterns. When the light hit it, it sparkled brightly.

"Omigod," Valerie muttered. She turned to Ratchet and Ironhide, who were standing a few feet behind the manikin. "This is gorgeous! Thank you! How did you make this?!"

Ratchet smiled. "I'm not giving away my secrets," he told her. "But I'm glad you like it."

Valerie rushed up to the dress and felt the fabric. It didn't feel confining or stiff, but instead was smooth and comforted her skin. She could tell that the material was stretchy, too, so if she had to pull out some of her martial arts moves, she would be able to.

"This is comfy," she commented. She looked up to Ratchet. "Can I try this on?" The mech nodded, and Valerie slipped it off the manikin and hurried into a room off to the side.

Once she had disappeared behind the door, Ratchet activated his holoform and pushed Optimus out. "Out," he ordered.

"Why?" Optimus demanded. "I wanted to see her in her dress!"

Ratchet glared. "Remember our plan?" he asked. Optimus, after hesitating for a second, nodded and turned around, leaving the room.

Valerie stepped out of the room a few minutes later, wearing the dress. It looked gorgeous on her and emphasized the blue streaks in her hair. If she had some blue jewelry and makeup on, she would look perfect.

"Where's Optimus?" she demanded immediately, noticing the absence of the Prime.

Ironhide coughed. "He had something urgent to do," he lied. "Something with the president of the U.S. or something." He noticed how her face fell and smiled at the obvious affection between her and the Prime. "He really wanted to be here and see the dress."

Valerie nodded and gave a half-hearted twirl. "How do you like it?" she asked.

"It looks gorgeous," Ratchet answered.

Ironhide started laughing. "Don't let Prime hear you say that," he joked.

Valerie shot a confused look back and forth from Ratchet to Ironhide. "What are you talking about?" she snapped. "Am I missing something here?"

"Yeah... a boyfriend!" Ironhide choked out, still laughing.

She gave him a look that clearly called him crazy. "What the hell are you talking about, 'Hide?" she asked angrily, putting her hands on her hips. When he didn't reply, Valerie rolled her eyes. "Yeah, whatever. See you guys later. Thanks for the dress!"

After she left, Ratchet elbowed Ironhide to get him to stop laughing. "C'mon, you knucklehead, we need to do some finishing touches on the matching piece." As he spoke, he pressed a few buttons on a nearby control pad. A long coffin-sized box slid out of storage, and Ratchet opened the lid to reveal a black tuxedo with a bright blue colored tie. "He's going to love this."

Ironhide looked speculative. "She's going to kill us, you know," he told Ratchet.

"No she won't," Ratchet replied. "She's going to love this just as much as he is."

A few hours later, Valerie was driving a sleek Mercedes (a regular car, not a Transformer) to the hotel ballroom that her school's prom was taking place in. She was a little concerned about the Autobots and her uncles; when she had left, Ratchet, Ironhide, Lennox, and Epps were unable to keep their laughter in at the sight of her, and Optimus looked slightly nervous. After she had asked them multiple times if they had hit their heads one too many times, they had kicked her out of base and told her to get to the prom already.

She pulled into the nearest parking spot, and as she walked past Bee (that meant that Sam and Mikaela were already in the hotel), she tapped his hood. Bee let out a quiet honk, acknowledging her presence.

Valerie opened the hotel doors and stepped inside the building. After asking directions at the front desk, she was able to find the ballroom without getting lost and opened the doors, stepping into the room.

The most noticeable thing was the music. It blared loud enough that Valerie could hardly think, much less speak to anyone. The next thing she saw was the people. There hardly seemed to be room to fit anyone else in the ballroom. Then her eyes moved towards the tables upon tables upon tables of food- cakes, donuts, chips, cookies, candy... a teenager's heaven. She eventually forced her eyes away from the food and looked at the decorations, which were basically all saying "Congrats, Grad!" or lines from that Dr. Seuss book "Oh the Places You'll Go."

"Hey, Val!" she heard someone shout, and she turned to see Sam and Mikaela on the dance floor. Valerie waved at them and made her way over to a group of her friends who were standing in a corner; Valerie didn't want to dance because all the guys in her high school were idiots and she didn't want to dance with them. If Optimus were here, though, the story would be different... Valerie shook her head to clear it.

For about a half hour, she had a fun time, fooling around with her friends. She was a bit disappointed at how it seemed like all the other parties she had ever been to in her life. Weren't proms supposed to be a big thing? You know, like, end of high school education, going into college? Maybe it was because she didn't have a date- she had turned down everyone who asked her because she had had her eyes on a certain Prime... but she should have known he wouldn't ask her to go, even as a friend. He was too... uptight.

"Well, well, well," a voice behind her drawled. "If it isn't Valerie."

Valerie turned and glared at the guy. "If it isn't dick-head Trent," she replied in the same tone. "What is it this time?"

"I was wondering...," Trent said, "if you wanted to dance."

For a second, Valerie was stunned speechless. Trent seriously thought that she would dance with him? Maybe _he_ had hit his head too hard, not the Autobots and her uncles.

Then she grimaced. "Uh, why would I want to dance with you?" she snapped. "Because I can go on and on for weeks about how annoying you are."

"Well," Trent started, "it's more of a revenge thing."

Valerie gave him a blank look. "You had a big enough brain to plan something like that?" she asked incredulously. Then she shrugged. "I guess you learn something new each day."

Trent smirked, not understanding that it was supposed to be an insult to his brain size, not a compliment. "If Sam wasn't going with Mikaela, he would have asked you," he told her. Valerie couldn't deny the truth in that. "And if Mikaela wasn't going with Sam, she would be going with me. So, if they look over and see what a fun time we're having together..."

Valerie scoffed. "You really think that that's gonna work?" she demanded. "First of all, Sam and I are friends. I don't have a crush on him. Second of all, I don't feel bitter towards Mikaela about going with Sam. Third of all..." She trailed off, not knowing what her third argument was.

"She's the reason you don't have a date," Trent reminded her harshly.

Valerie glared. "Who said I don't have a date?" she snapped.

"Well, who are you going with?" Trent asked, sounding extremely smug that he had been able to trap Valerie like that.

Valerie hesitated, knowing full well that she didn't have a date. "I'm going with..." She trailed off again.

"Me," a familiar deep voice said. "She's going with me."

Both Valerie and Trent turned to see a college-aged boy with messy blonde hair and the brightest blue eyes. He was in a black tuxedo with a blue tie that was the same shade of blue as his eyes and the bottom of Valerie's dress.

It was Optimus Prime.

"Who are you?" Trent demanded. "I've never seen you around before."

Valerie observed Optimus. His blue eyes were narrowed in dislike, and she could tell by his stance that he and Trent weren't anywhere close to becoming friends. She knew that she had complained to Optimus multiple times about Trent throughout the past year, but Optimus had never had any interactions with bullies on Earth. She hoped that he would be able to handle himself.

She really shouldn't have even doubted him.

"I doubt that you need to know that," Optimus replied, sounding completely casual while giving off the air of someone who was extremely annoyed.

Trent, however, didn't get it. "Obviously you don't understand how things work around here," he snapped. "I'm the man here, dude. You don't cross me. So why don't you fucking tell me who you are?"

Optimus's blue eyes narrowed. "I'm an old family friend," he answered, his tone laced with ice. "And someone who _you_ shouldn't cross unless you want to regret it. Now get out of my sight." Trent's eyes widened in fear and he stumbled backwards, pushing everyone out of his way. Valerie started laughing loudly as he tripped on a girl's skirt, causing both of them to fall into the punch bowl.

"Good one, Optimus!" she exclaimed, turning to him. The Prime was smiling slightly. "Thanks for helping me out, by the way."

He smiled. "My pleasure," he replied. The girls behind Valerie started giggling, and Valerie rolled her eyes at them before turning back to Optimus. "Would you care for a dance?"

Valerie looked speculatively at the masses of people fooling around on the dance floor. It definitely wasn't a slow dance, and she couldn't imagine Optimus just letting himself go and moving like the guys out here. In fact, she wasn't sure if he actually wanted to dance. "You don't have to offer if you don't want to," Valerie told him. "I mean, if you're only doing this to be a good friend-"

Optimus cut her off. "Valerie, I don't say things that I don't mean to follow through with," he said. "I asked you if you wanted to dance, and I meant it."

"Well, if that's the case, let's go," Valerie told him, grabbing his wrist and pulling him towards the dance floor. "You do know how to dance, right?" He shrugged, causing her to roll her eyes. "Just wing it, then. Watch me."

And for the rest of the night, she and Optimus fooled around as if they were regular teenagers. Optimus had taken a few tries to figure out how, exactly, to dance, but eventually he was spinning Valerie around and laughing. Valerie had never seen the Prime so carefree and relaxed. She knew it wasn't her imagination when she and Optimus passed Sam and Mikaela, who had given Optimus slightly puzzled but pleased looks. Valerie soon had taken back her earlier statement about the prom being just like any other party- Optimus changed all that.

"I have something to show you," Optimus told her when they had finally left the dance floor, Valerie flushed and out of breath. Optimus, however, had hardly broken a sweat. Valerie assumed that it had something to do with the holoform technology.

"What is it?" Valerie asked curiously.

He smiled at her. "It's about a fifteen minute drive from here," he answered. "By the time we finish up over there, the party will be over. Do you still want to come?"

"Hell yeah," Valerie replied instantly, standing up. "C'mon, let's go."


	13. Chapter 13

After saying a quick goodbye to her friends, Valerie and Optimus left the hotel and drove in Optimus's alt mode (Valerie's Mercedes had been brought back to base by Lennox) for a few minutes. Valerie leaned against the comfy seats and fingered her Transformium absentmindedly.

"Hey, Optimus," Valerie said, breaking the silence. "Did you and the other Autobots find out how come my Transformium acted like it did last year when I was fighting Megatron?"

After the Battle of Mission City, Optimus had asked her what she had done to her Transformium to get it to light up. Valerie had learned that day that Transformium behaving like that had never been heard of before. When she had tried, the Transformium wouldn't create the light, but during the ops that she had been on that she had faced a Decepticon, it had lighted up without her asking. It was a big mystery that the Autobots had whole-heartedly tried to solve. However, they never seemed to get anywhere close to it.

"No," Optimus answered. "It's really strange. I've never seen anything like that... even Henry had never done anything like that."

Valerie was silent as she looked at her Transformium warily. "Does it have, like, a mind of it's own?" she asked. "Does that make sense? Because it activates when I'm in danger from Decepticons."

Optimus's speakers lifted slightly, a movement that she had learned was equivalent to a shrug. "Like I said last year, Valerie, we're in-"

"-uncharted territory, yeah, yeah yeah, I know," Valerie muttered. They drove in silence, but a few minutes later, Optimus stopped the car and activated his holoform. "Where are we?"

He smiled as he opened the door for her. "You'll see," he told her. When she was out of the car, he lifted her up by her hips and placed her on top of the hood of his alt mode (she couldn't climb up because of her dress). He jumped on after her. "Watch the sky. They should be coming in a few minutes."

"Who should be coming?" Valerie asked. Optimus didn't reply, and she sighed. Silence fell between them, and nothing happened in the sky. Valerie felt the silence pressing in, making her feel awkward around Optimus for the first time in a year.

She felt a sudden urge to reach out and take Optimus's hand or lean against him. He was the only one that she felt safe around because she knew that he would go through hell and back to protect her. She also felt like she could open up to him and tell him her deepest secrets; he was just that type of understanding person. At that moment, and especially after such a fun prom night and in such a peaceful setting, Valerie wanted Optimus to kiss her.

After hesitating for a few more seconds, Valerie scooted closer to Optimus and leaned her head on his shoulder. Optimus shifted so that he could wrap his arm around her shoulders. They sat like that for a little bit, just staring up at the stars.

Finally Optimus spoke. "Valerie..." he said. Valerie looked up at him and noticed that he was tomato red. "Ever since the first night that we met, you've stuck me as different from the other humans I've met during the year that I've been here. You're more wild and reckless and carefree..." He took a deep breath. "And that's what I need to be. More carefree, I mean. More like you are."

"Optimus," Valerie interrupted. "You're babbling. Spit it out already."

He took a deep breath. "I guess what I'm trying so say is..." He trailed off, but a quick glance at Valerie seemed to make him feel more confident. "I've always felt more at ease around you. I fell like I can relax and be myself. There's nobody else in the universe that can do something like that."

"Optimus," Valerie interrupted again. "You're killing me with the suspense here. _Tell me what the hell's going on_. And I know the other Autobots are in on it, too. They couldn't stop laughing when I left base."

Valerie was about to keep going when she suddenly felt Optimus's lips on hers.

Her eyes instantly closed, and she leaned into the kiss. For his first time kissing someone, he sure knew what to do and how to do it good. Soon Valerie felt his tongue against her lips, asking entrance, which she permitted. She let out a soft moan as she felt his tongue exploring.

Finally, Optimus broke the kiss. She opened her eyes and saw Optimus gazing at her like she was perfection. "That's what I was trying to tell you," he said. "Ever since I first met you, Valerie, I was in love with you."

"I was, too," Valerie replied, meeting his eyes and staring back. She let out a quiet chuck;e. "So I assume the rest of the Autobots know that you were planning to do this?"

Optimus laughed, relieved at finding out that she felt the same way towards him that he did to her. "Yeah," he answered. "That's why they were laughing so hard."

Before Valerie could reply, movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. She looked up at the sky to see seven comets streaking towards the Earth.

"Whoa," she muttered. She looked at Optimus, making the connection. "They're Autobots. That's who you meant when you said that they should be here soon! This is great! Now there's more of you!"

Optimus sent a satisfied look up at the comets. "I told them the coordinates of the N.E.S.T. base," he told her. "Do you want to go head back and meet them? You should get along pretty well with Arcee- she's a girl."

Valerie frowned briefly. She hadn't even considered the fact that there were girl Autobots. What happened if Optimus fell in love with one of them? Arcee would certainly be able to understand Optimus better than Valerie ever would- Valerie wasn't Cybertronian. Valerie could never be one of them.

"Hey," Optimus said softly. He slid his fingers under her chin and lifted her head up so that she was looking at him. "I love you, Valerie. Nothing's ever going to get in the way of that, even the fact that we're of two different species."

She smiled. "Thanks, Optimus," she replied. "And for the record, I love you too." He planted a soft kiss on her lips before jumping off the hood of the truck and helping her down. Once Valerie was sitting in the truck, Optimus took off towards the Autobot base.

"Optimus!" a female voice exclaimed the second they pulled into the hangar. Valerie tensed up, but Optimus activated his holoform and took her hand as she stepped out of the cab. "It's good to see you again!"

Valerie instantly noticed the seven more Autobots in the hangar. There were two guys that looked like twins, three slimmer figures that Valerie assumed were girls, a guy who reminded her slightly of Jazz with his laid-back attitude, and another guy who was surrounded by tools. Ratchet and Ironhide were talking with some of the new arrivals.

Optimus nodded at the girl who had spoken. "Arcee," he said. "I'd like to introduce you to Valerie, my... girlfriend, in human terms."

Arcee looked from Optimus to Valerie. "Girlfriend?" she repeated. "Interesting." She smiled at Valerie. "It's good to know that he finally found someone. You have _no idea_ how long we've been waiting for him to get a femme."

Valerie frowned. "Femme?" she asked.

"Female," she answered. "Cybertronian terms." Valerie nodded. "Optimus, why don't you turn off your holoform? I wanna see how that truck looks on you."

Optimus grimaced. "I'd rather not," he told her.

Suddenly, the doors to the hanger opened, and the Autobots turned to see Lennox and Epps stride into the hangar. The two soldiers instantly saw Valerie's hand in Optimus's and smirked at each other. Valerie rolled her eyes at them.

"Well, here comes the long expected arrivals," Epps said, nodding to the seven new Autobots. "Does someone care to introduce us?"

Optimus deactivated his holoform and returned to his real body, transforming out of his alt mode. "Arcee, Chromia, and Elita- One," he told them, gesturing to the three girls, who nodded to the humans. "The twins, Skids and Mudflap, our messenger and infiltrator." The two twins were too busy wrestling with each other to realize that Optimus was introducing them to the humans. "Jolt, our technician." Jolt placed down a tool and waved before picking the tool up again and getting to work. "Sideswipe, our combat specialist." Sideswipe grunted. "They all responded to my plea for help." Then he turned to the Autobots. "I'd like to introduce you to some human friends of mine, William Lennox and Robert Epps."

"Wha' 'bout her?" one of the twins spoke up, pointing to Valerie.

Valerie turned to him. "I'm Valerie," she told him. "And I work with N.E.S.T. and the Autobots, so you'll be seeing me around a lot."

"Define a lot," Sideswipe said. Valerie was beginning to get the feeling that the new Autobots were sizing her and her uncles up. "And can you fight? What do you fight with? Can you keep your head in battle? Where's the proof of your loyalty?"

Before Valerie could even do anything, Ironhide was on his feet, pointing his cannon at Sideswipe. "Don't question her," he growled. "She's one of us."

All the other newer Autobots rose to their feet, as well, and aimed their guns at either Ironhide, Ratchet, or Valerie, causing Ratchet to draw his guns as well. Valerie fingered her Transformium. "Where's the proof?" Arcee asked. "She's snared the Prime's Spark, which would be an ideal position to be in to get us to do exactly what she wants."

"She's saved my life," Optimus told them, eyes flashing with anger. "She helped us find the Cube. Everyone, put your arms down. _Now_." Everyone unwillingly lowered their weapons, but they didn't put them away. Their eyes were warily on each other, watching for the smallest sign of violence.

Valerie turned towards Sideswipe, who was giving her a death stare. "Ratchet and Ironhide are like brothers to me. Optimus is more than that. So, to answer your question, 'a lot' means every freaking day for as long as you're around here," she snapped. "And yes, I can fight. I'd happily show you what I can do, but I have a feeling that that'd end with your head ten feet from your body. I fight with a piece of Transformium that chose me. If I couldn't keep my head in battle, I'd think I'd be dead by now. So, _Sideswipe_ , bug off."

"You didn't tell us any proof of your loyalty," Chromia said. "And what makes you so special that a human femme can fight with us?"

Valerie glared. "I helped your comrades find the Cube," she replied icily. "I saved your Prime's life. I fought Megatron and killed multiple Decepticons without aid. And to answer your second question, I can sense Transformium. So you might want to stay on my good side if you want to be warned about a Decepticon about to pounce on you from behind. And I'm going to remind you, Chromia, that you're also a femme."

For a second, there was silence. Then Jolt turned to Optimus. "Is this true?" he asked.

"Every word," Optimus answered.

Arcee turned to Valerie. "Then welcome," she told her. "Sister."


	14. Chapter 14

One Year Later

"Valerie, go find Ironhide," Lennox ordered.

She raised an eyebrow. "Say the magic word," she teased. "Or I'm not going to."

Lennox glared. "I'm serious, kiddo," he said. "You're on the ground team with him. Get over there so I don't have to worry about you."

"Uncle, you're going to worry about me either way," Valerie told him earnestly. "Don't I 'always have a knack for getting into trouble'?"

He rolled his eyes. "You weren't supposed to read that," he replied. "That was the personnel report for General Morshower."

"You still said it," Valerie said. "Besides, you shouldn't doubt my skills as a hacker. Jolt has taught me well."

Lennox glared at her. "Get your ass over to Ironhide," he snapped. "I have a lot on my mind right now." Valerie rolled her eyes and turned around, heading over to Ironhide.

The N.E.S.T. soldiers and the Autobots were in a plane heading over to Shanghai, China. They had picked up some traces of Decepticons in the area and had had to create a story of a deadly gas leak so that the area could be evacuated. Valerie knew that this op was going to be a messy one; she had picked up on the Decepticon's signal when they were halfway over the Pacific, meaning that it was a pretty big Decepticon. All the N.E.S.T. soldiers were a bit worried; this Decepticon was the sixth enemy contact in eight months.

When Ironhide saw her coming, he transformed and crouched down so that he could talk to her. "What was that about?" he asked. "Never seen Lennox so pissed."

"He's stressed right now," Valerie answered. Then she smirked. "And I might have possibly brought up that time that I hacked into the system and read the personnel reports for General Morshower from Uncle Will."

Sides, who had been walking behind her, let out a loud laugh. "Glad to see Jolt has been rubbing off on you," he said.

It had taken a few weeks, but after the tense conversation in the hangar of the Autobot base a year ago, the new Autobots had accepted her as one of them and even warmed up to her. Valerie hung out with Arcee, Chromia, and Elita- One almost as much as Optimus, talking about girl stuff. Jolt had taken to teaching Valerie computer skills. Sides and Valerie practiced fighting on each other frequently. The twins had taken Valerie under their wing when it came to pranking the other Autobots and some of the soldiers. She had almost and endless supply of friends, whether they were on base or civilians like Sam and Mikaela.

Her relationship with the other Autobots had grown, too. Valerie was extremely close with Ironhide and Ratchet, who she was extremely grateful to for making Optimus the tux to convince him to go to the prom with her and urging him to speak his feelings to her. She and Optimus were still dating and had a steady relationship. Valerie couldn't picture her life without him anymore.

"Yo! Girlie, wha' ya thinkin' 'bout?" she heard a voice ask from behind Sides.

Valerie turned to see Skids and Mudflap, who had changed their alt mode to an ice cream truck specially for the op. She made a mental note to tease them about it later. "I'm thinking about how to get you killed during the op, you idiots!" she replied, causing the Autobots to start laughing.

The speakers started blaring. "Landing in T-minus five minutes," it announced. "Landing in T- minus five minutes. Landing in T-minus five minutes."

"We get the point!" Valerie shouted. "Shut up already!" A few minutes later, they were on the ground. Valerie, Lennox, and Epps were sitting in Ironhide's trunk with a handful of other soldiers. Soon they were in a construction site with steel pipes all around.

Valerie looked around. "He's here," she announced, feeling her gut being pulled towards the steel stacks. "Behind the steel stacks."

Lennox slapped Ironhide's hood. "Alright, Ironhide," he said. "You heard the girl. Steel stacks at 2 o'clock!"

Ironhide transformed. Valerie thought that he was taking an especially long time and making it look a bit more majestic than it normally was. She rolled her eyes as he dramatically readied his cannon after he was completely transformed and sniffed the air.

"He's here," Ironhide told them. "I smell him."

Valerie rolled her eyes again. "You don't use your nose to find Decepticons, you use your sensors," she reminded him. "And I already said that he was here. You don't need to repeat me."

They started inching forwards to the pipes, Epps holding a scanner out in front of him. "It's close," a soldier said. "It's getting closer."

"Uh oh," Epps muttered.

Lennox and Valerie leaned over his shoulder to see the scanner. "What've you got?" Lennox asked.

"We're close, that's what he's got," Valerie answered. "I already told you guys that. We're, like, two feet away from it." She slipped her Transformium out of her pocket and rolled it between her fingers. "Be steady, everyone."

Suddenly, a nearby red excavator transformed, sending the steel stacks flying everywhere. Valerie pulled the closest soldiers to her down and created a shield using her Transformium. The steel stacks bounced off of it, and when she lowered the shield, they got their first glance of the Decepticon.

"Holy shit," Valerie muttered, seeing the sheer size of it. It must have been at least three times the size of Optimus, who was the biggest Autobot. "There goes keeping this thing contained. That thing's probably going to wreck the whole city!"

Epps shouted into the radio. "Panther One, requesting fire mission now!" he ordered.

"Dog One, we are engaging," a Black Hawk pilot responded. Valerie saw a helicopter fly towards the giant Decepticon and started shooting. Even though it got a few shots in, the Decepticon slammed is tail at the copter, causing it to spiral to the ground.

Nearby, another car slowly crawled away. Valerie sensed it moving away (the big Decepticon's signal had shielded him, but now that they were both going in separate directions, she was able to sense both of them) and turned in its direction, barley glimpsing it before it moved out of sight. "Arcee! Chromia! Elita- One! Another Decepticon's coming your way!" she told them, shouting into her radio.

Skids shouted, "Oh, I see 'im! I got 'im, I got 'im!" Valerie assumed that they had joined in in the pursuit of the Decepticon and wondered if they would totally screw up the mission.

Through the radio, Valerie heard Arcee and the other girls loose the Decepticon. There was some sounds of crashing from the twins' end. "I screwed that up..." she heard Mudflap mutter. "I'm okay. I'm alright." The twins started arguing, and Valerie rolled her eyes.

"Bring in Sideswipe!" Lennox ordered.

After the sound of Sideswipe unloading, she heard him say, "Clear a path." After a few seconds, she heard him announce, "Damn, I'm good." Valerie assumed that Sideswipe had killed the Decepticon.

"We need to stop the other Decepticon before he tears the city apart," Valerie reminded them. "We're not going to be able to contain this. I doubt that even I can take him out."

Epps looked up at the sky. "Air support, we need Big Buddha to deliver the drop now," he told his radio.

Valerie raised an eyebrow. "Big Buddha?" she repeated. "Really, Uncle?"

"Don't judge," Epps muttered. "It wasn't the best name I've ever come up with."

She scoffed. "You got that right," she agreed as she watched Optimus roll out of the plane in his alt mode. Once in the air, he transformed and activated his three parachutes, each with an Autobot symbol on it. When he was on the ground, he cut the strings to the parachutes and took off after the Decepticon.

"Autobots, I'm in pursuit," he told them.

Valerie turned to Lennox and Epps, silently asking permission with her eyes. Lennox sighed as Epps rolled his eyes. "Go ahead, lovebird," Lennox said. "Join your boyfriend."

Without another word, she turned her Transformium into a hover board and took off, flying over buildings and towards Optimus. After a while, she caught up to Optimus. "Valerie?!" Optimus exclaimed as he caught sight of her, looking away from the Decepticon as it rolled onto a bridge. "What are you doing here?"

"Helping you," she replied as she pulled out the gun that she had taken from the plane just in case she needed to use a gun while using her Transformium, like right now. She flew past Optimus and in front of the Decepticon. She shot his optics in short bursts, causing him to turn to her. It let out an enraged roar, and Valerie took off along the bridge, Decepticon in pursuit.

Optimus took advantage of the Decepticon's distraction and launched himself at the giant Decepticon, pushing him off of the bridge. They smashed through the whole bridge, and Optimus grabbed the Decepticon's head and swung himself around so that he was on top of the Decepticon's head. Valerie landed on Optimus's shoulders and, after turning her gun into a missile launcher and aiming carefully, shot the Decepticon's head. The Decepticon stumbled and rolled to a stop near a factory. Optimus got off of the Decepticon and stood up, Valerie still on his shoulder.

"Are you okay?" Optimus asked Valerie instantly.

Valerie nodded as she turned her Transformium back into her hover board and lowering herself to the ground. "Are you?" she replied as she descended. He nodded.

As her feet touched the ground, she saw Lennox, Epps, and Ironhide approach them. "Punk ass Decepticon," Ironhide muttered, causing Valerie to smirk.

Optimus turned to the Decepticon. "Any last words?" he asked, readying his gun and aiming it at him.

"This... is not your planet... to rule," the Decepticon choked out, coughing Energon (the lifeblood of the Transformers). "The Fallen... shall rise... again, and... with his rise... shall come the end... of the line... of the Hudsons."

Valerie's eyes widened. "The end of the line of the Hudsons?" she repeated. She turned her Transformium back into the missile launcher and aimed it at the Decepticon. "Tell me what you know!" she ordered, voice panicky. She felt her heart beating rapidly in fear; the end of the line of the Hudsons? Did that mean that she- and the rest of her family- would die? "I need to know!" She shook the missile launcher in his face threateningly.

The Decepticon laughed but didn't reply. "Whatever you mean," Optimus said coldly, "it will not happen today." He motioned to Valerie, who shot the Decepticon with her missile launcher. The dim light of his optics died. Optimus instantly activated his holoform and put his hands on Valerie's shoulders. "Valerie, it means nothing," he told her. "Don't listen to him. We don't know what any of it means, or if it'll even happen. Are you listening? _It means nothing_."

"It means everything!" Valerie shouted at him. "'The end of the line of the Hudsons!?' It sounds like I'm going to die when this 'Fallen' rises!" She backed away and took a deep breath, pushing her multicolored hair out of her face and her eyes wild with panic and fear and taking rapid breaths. "I'm going to die," she muttered quietly. "I'm going to die."

Optimus's eyes narrowed. "You're not going to die, Valerie Hudson," he told her, anger barely hidden in his voice. "You're not going to die, Valerie. Not if I can help it. Remember what I said two years ago to Barricade? The police car? You're under my protection. As long as I live, you're safe."

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, attempting to slow her breathing. Optimus took her into his arms comfortingly. She looked up at him, and he pressed his lips to hers comfortingly. She leaned into the kiss, letting Optimus take away all her worries and fears.

He broke the kiss after about half a minute. Valerie opened her eyes slowly and looked into his eyes. "Thanks," she muttered. "Thanks, Optimus."

"It was nothing," he replied. He smiled slightly. "I would have done it even if you didn't need comforting." She smiled back.

Lennox interrupted them. "Hey, lovebirds!" he shouted, using the nickname he had given them ever since they had gotten together a year ago. "Time to get moving!" Then his tone softened. "And Valerie? Prime's right. We're not going to let them get you."

She gave him a small smile. "The op's finished," she said, addressing everyone. "Let's go home, guys."


	15. Chapter 15

"Autobot twins, report to Hangar Three," the speakers blared as the Autobots and N.E.S.T. soldiers walked off the plane. They had just landed in their new base in Diego Garcia.

As the twins (in ice cream truck mode) rolled past her, Valerie smirked. "Aw, guys, don't change!" she said teasingly. "You guys are adorable as ice cream trucks!" They let out a honk of offense but ignored her, causing her to roll her eyes at them. "What, no good comeback?"

Next to her, Optimus (in his holoform) put his hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?" he asked, concern in his eyes.

Valerie took a deep breath. "Yeah," she answered. "I think." She gave him a small smile. "But I don't really have any reason not to be, right? Because you're going to protect me as long as I live."

"You're right about that," Optimus said. He pulled her to a stop and gave her a quick kiss which rapidly deepened.

Lennox walked by and slapped Valerie hard on the back, causing her and Optimus to stumble and break apart. "You're going to be late for the funeral, you lovebirds!" he reminded them, still walking.

"Stop calling us lovebirds!" Valerie shouted back, rolling her eyes at him. She turned to Optimus. "C'mon, we'd better go."

Optimus looked back at the plane regretfully. "I can't," he told her. "As much as I want to pay tribute to the dead, I have to report to Hangar One. I'll see you later, though."

"See you, then" Valerie said, sighing as she turned away from Optimus and followed Lennox. She would rather have followed Optimus to Hangar One, where the rest of the Autobots were, but she needed to pay her respects. If it were anything else, Valerie, being her rebellious self, would have skipped it, but since her dad had died in the line of duty, she felt an obligation to attend the funerals of the soldiers.

After the funeral, she heard some heated words from the gate, and a few seconds later, a man in a suit strode into base, a paper clutched in his hand. Lennox, who was standing next to Valerie, rolled his eyes as he walked up to the man. Valerie followed. "Director Galloway, what an honor," he said in a tone that, to those who knew him, said the exact opposite. "I'd love to show you around, but you gotta be on the classified access list."

Galloway shoved the paper in his hand in Lennox's face. "I am now," he told him. "Presidential order, Major. I got a message for your classified space buddies. You guys made a mess of Shanghai."

"Technically the Decepticon did," Valerie reminded him. "We just stopped him before he wrecked the whole city. I'd think that you'd be grateful about that."

The director glared at her. "Who's this?" he asked. "I don't seem to recall allowing civilians to access this base."

"Oh no, you didn't," Lennox muttered, knowing Valerie's fiery temper.

Sure enough, Valerie's eyes narrowed. "Tell me you didn't just call me a civilian," she said. She turned to Lennox. "Did he just call me a civilian?" He nodded, and she looked back at Galloway. "I'm a N.E.S.T. soldier, Einstein." She stormed off to Hangar One, leaving her uncle with Galloway.

"What is it?" Optimus, who was in his alt mode, asked through his speakers. Valerie glanced briefly around the hangar, which was basically a giant empty room except for a platform that was raised to about the Autobot's height. On top of the platform, there were multiple computers, a soldier in front of each computer.

Valerie climbed up and sat on his hood. "Director from hell coming," she growled. "He called me a freaking civilian!"

Ironhide growled. "No he didn't," he said. She nodded, and the weapons specialist drew his cannon. "He's going to get it."

"Easy, Ironhide," Optimus ordered. "We'll get him back for it later."

A few seconds later, Lennox and Galloway entered the hangar, Lennox looking pissed. " _Help me_!" he mouthed to the Autobots, causing Valerie to smirk.

"Secure line to the Pentagon is now open," a soldier sitting by the computers announced.

A computer screen flickered, and the Chief of Staffs, Morshower, appeared, looking rather stern. Valerie gulped, knowing that Galloway was probably right- the government wasn't happy about the Shanghai Op.

"Will, I saw the Shanghai Op," Morshower told them sternly.

Lennox nodded. "Yes, sir. I believe we have intel that warrants an immediate debrief," he said. "Now, with your permission, sir, we can't let you see him, but I would like you to hear from the leader of the Autobots."

Morshower nodded. "Proceed," he agreed, and Valerie was about to hop off of Optimus's hood. However, Optimus kept her there and transformed with her in his hand. Once he was done transforming, he placed her on his shoulder. Valerie grinned as Lennox, who was on the platform, had to crane his neck to see her and Optimus. On the ground, Valerie heard Epps mutter to Galloway, who was standing next to him, "You gotta wonder, if God made us in his image, who made him?"

Optimus spoke to Morshower. "Our alliance has countermanded six Decepticon incursions in this year, each on a different continent. They're searching for something. But last night's encounter came with a warning." He played a recording of the Decepticon's warning, making Valerie shudder. " _The Fallen shall rise again, and with his rise shall come the end of the line of the Hudsons_."

"The Fallen? Meaning what?" Morshower asked.

Optimus frowned. "Origin unknown," he told him. "The only recorded history of our race was contained within the AllSpark and was lost with its destruction."

"Then what about the 'line of the Hudsons?'" Morshower said.

His frown deepened. "Valerie Hudson is our close friend and comrade-in-arms. I want it made clear that we will not let any harm befall her... from anyone, be it our own kind or humans. Or they will face our wrath." The other Autobots nodded in agreement, making Valerie smile at their loyalty.

"Excuse me!" Galloway shouted, ruining the moment. He started climbing the ladder up to the platform so that he could talk to Morshower. "With this so-called AllSpark now destroyed, why hasn't the enemy left the planet like you thought they would?"

Lennox rolled his eyes, a movement that only Morshower could see. "Director Galloway, our National Security Advisor. The President just appointed him liaison."

"Well, I guess I didn't get that memo," Morshower said dryly as Galloway pushed his way through the soldiers on the platform to get to the camera.

While he was still walking over, Galloway started talking. "Forgive the interruption," he said. "Coming through. Excuse me. Excuse me, soldier." If Valerie was on the platform, she would have tripped him and sent him falling about fifteen feet down to the ground, hopefully breaking his neck and ending his sorry life...

"After all the damage in Shanghai, the President is, um, hard pressed to say that the job's getting done," Galloway told them.

Valerie interrupted. "With all due respect, sir, (which is none), what do you know?" she asked. "Were you out there with us, risking your necks so that others don't die? I don't think so. We're getting the job done in the only way in which we can, and I think the President should be grateful towards us for that."

Galloway glared at her. "You don't know what you're talking about, girl," he said. The Autobots instantly tensed and drew their weapons. Galloway, however, remained oblivious to the fact, and continued talking. "You barely look like you've graduated high school, and you have absolutely no real world experience, even though you're able to fight decently."

At that, the Autobots (besides Optimus) aimed their weapons at Galloway. Lennox even had his hand on his gun. "Leave her alone," Arcee ordered.

"She's one of us," Chromia continued.

"So don't question her," Elita- One finished. Ironhide, Ratchet, Sideswipe, and Jolt nodded in agreement. Valerie was reminded of how that same exact thing happened a little less than a year ago when the new Autobots had first landed. Oh, how the tides had changed.

Galloway looked hopefully at Optimus, who was the only one who hadn't drawn his weapon, causing Optimus to glare at him. "Don't think that just because I'm not aiming a weapon at you, I'm not close to blasting you out of this base," Optimus growled. "This human is under our protection. She's one of us. And let me make this clear- if we hear of you even _looking_ at her the wrong way, I will _personally_ send you through hell and back." He turned to the other Autobots. "He is warned. Lower your weapons." Satisfied at their Prime's threat, the Autobots obeyed.

The Director looked at their weapons and seemed to have an idea come to his head that gave him his courage back. "Under the classified Alien-Autobot Cooperation Act," he said, seeming to grow in confidence as he spoke, "you agreed to share your intel with us, but not your advancements in weaponry."

Optimus nodded. "We've witnessed your human capacity for war," he replied. "It would absolutely bring more harm than good."

"But who are you to judge what's best for us?" Galloway challenged.

Lennox stepped forward. "With all due respect, we've been fighting side by side in the field for two years," he told Galloway.

"We've shed blood, sweat, and precious metal together," Epps added from the ground.

Galloway glared down at Epps. "Soldier, you're paid to shoot, not talk," he snapped.

"Don't tempt me," Epps growled, glaring back at Galloway.

Optimus looked down at Epps and patted the air above his head. "Easy," he said quietly before turning back to Galloway.

"And the, ah, newest members of your team," Galloway continued. "I understand they arrived here after your message into space, an open invitation to Earth, vetted by no one at the White House!"

Valerie glared. "Dude, the White House isn't God," she told him.

Before Galloway could reply, Morshower spoke up. "Let me stop you right there, Mr. Galloway," he said. "It was vetted right here. And in my experience, the judgment of both Major Lennox and his team has always been above reproach."

"Can't say the same about you, Galloway," Valerie muttered, causing Optimus's face plates to lift slightly.

Galloway continued. "Well, be that as it may, it is the position of the President that when our national security is at stake... no one is above reproach." He turned to talk to everyone. "Now, what do we know so far? We know that the enemy leader, classified NBE-One, aka Megatron, is rusting in peace at the bottom of the Laurentain Abyss, surrounded by SOSUS detection nets and a full-time submarine surveillance. We also know that the only remains of your alien AllSpark is locked in an electromagnetic vault here on one of the most secure naval bases in the world.

"And no one can seem to tell me what the enemy is now after! Well, there's only one conclusion! You!" Galloway exclaimed, pointing at Optimus. "The Autobots! They're here to _hunt_ you! What's there to hunt for on Earth besides that? 'The Fallen shall rise again?' It sounds to me like something's coming. 'The end of the line of the Hudsons?' You're _endangering_ the lives of people of _our_ species, of _humans_!"

Valerie spoke up at that. "Do you know how many people's lives they've _saved_?" she demanded, indignant. "And my life was intertwined with the Transformers before I was even born! The Decepticons would have taken me two years ago to get me to find the Cube for them if the Autobots hadn't gotten me first! They're _protecting_ me, not _endangering_ me!"

Galloway seemed to remember Optimus's threat, because he didn't snap at her. Instead, he ignored her. "Let me ask," he said. "If we ultimately conclude that our national security is best served by denying you further asylum on our planet, will you leave? Peacefully?"

"Optimus, don't listen to him," Valerie snapped, aggravated. "He's just trying to play king for a minute."

However, Optimus ignored her. "Freedom is your right," he told Galloway. "If you make that request, we will honor it. But... before your President decides, ask him this; what if we leave... and you're wrong?"

Galloway stood there, dumbfounded, for a second. Lennox leaned towards Optimus. "That's a good question," he whispered. Valerie nodded.

After a few more minutes, the call ended, and Galloway turned to Lennox. "We still have to talk about her," he said, pointing at Valerie, who was still on Optimus's shoulder. "Why you let a teenager- a female, no less- fight in N.E.S.T. is beyond me. But be warned that the President will be informed about this."

"I can do more than you ever could, Galloway," Valerie snapped. "Did I tell you that I control a piece of shape-shifting metal? I could kill you in a second, dude. Trust me, you want me fighting out there. And, btw, I'm eighteen. That means _adult_."

Galloway glared. "Then show me how you fight," he challenged. Valerie, rolling her eyes, whipped out her Transformium and turned it into a shuriken, which she threw so that it skimmed Galloway's ear as it flew past him. The Director flinched and clapped his hand to his ear. "Okay," he said. "I see that you can fight. But there's still the fact that you're a teenager. Where are your parents or guardians? Did they agree to this?"

"I already said I'm eighteen," Valerie snapped. "That's an adult, Einstein. And my parents are both dead. My guardian is standing right next to you, so I _think_ that that means that he agrees to me fighting."

Galloway turned to Lennox, who nodded. "It's true," he said.

The Director's glare deepened. "The President will hear about this!" he exclaimed shrilly, not happy that he wasn't getting the reaction he wanted. He stormed out of the hangar like a little girl.

"I think we got the memo about the President," Valerie muttered. "I mean, you've said it, what, a hundred times?" The Autobots chuckled, and soon everyone was relaxed and fooling around as usual.

Well, everyone besides Valerie. She had gotten back on the ground and was sitting next to Optimus (who had activated his holoform) and was quiet, which was extremely rare. She was thinking about the 'end of the Hudson line' thing. What did it mean? Was she going to die when the Fallen rose? Who was the Fallen?

"Relax, Valerie," Optimus said, wrapping his arm around her waist. "Have fun."

Valerie sighed. "I'm just thinking about the warning," she told him. "I'm worried, Optimus."

Optimus leaned in and gave her a brief kiss. He let their foreheads lean on each other, his arm still around his neck. "Don't be worried, Valerie," he murmured. "I'll protect you."


	16. Chapter 16

"Leo, we got some new Shanghai vid!" one of the guys shouted. Was it Sharksy or Fassbinder? Sam couldn't remember. All he knew was that his college roommates were officially crazy.

"Post it! FTJ! FTJ!" Leo shrieked, jumping up and down like crazy. "Fuel the jet!"

The same guy (Sam was pretty sure his name was Fassbinder), however, was gaping at the video. "Dang, she's hot!" he exclaimed loudly.

Leo looked pissed. "What the hell are you talking about?" he demanded. "Post it, post it!" But then he glanced at the video, and his eyes widened. "Holy mother of God," he muttered. "Look at those legs!"

Sam, his curiosity getting the better of him, leaned around Leo so that he could see the video. When he did, his jaw dropped. He saw Valerie and Optimus fighting a giant Decepticon that was at least three times as big as Optimus. So that was what she had been doing when she said that she had been in Shanghai with Optimus. Sam had thought that they had been going on a romantic getaway or something... but Shanghai wasn't the prettiest place. Sam would have liked to have thought that he had taught Optimus well enough not to bring a girl, especially Valerie, to a place that fumy. He was glad that their relationship was blooming; Valerie needed someone who could anchor her and stop her from doing crazy things, and Optimus needed someone who could make him relax.

Then he realized that his roommates were checking out his best friend, who just happened to be dating one of the most powerful people in the universe.

"You might want to get your eyes off of her," Sam told his roommates, feeling that they needed to know what they were getting into. "She's dating someone." Everyone turned towards him with curious expressions. Sam realized that he wasn't supposed to know any Autobots or N.E.S.T. soldiers. "I mean, someone with her looks has to be dating someone, right?" Then he remembered that the Autobots and N.E.S.T. soldiers weren't supposed to be real, and he hastily amended his statement. "Well, she would be if she was real. I mean, the whole thing looks fake."

Their curious expressions turned to one of anger and disbelief. "Dude, it's not fake!" Fassbinder exclaimed. "The Internet is pure truth!" Before Sam could reply and preach the fakeness of the Internet, Fassbinder let out a curse. "Bad news. We just got scooped. The video's already up on GFR."

Leo let out a curse and threw down the box of kitten calendars that he had been showing Sam a few minutes earlier. "Dang it!" he shouted. Seeing Sam's confused expression, he explained. "Robowarrior- guy's our main competition on conspiracy stuff. Effing was my effing idea This was my idea and he stole it! He's been linking to my site and thieving hits forever! "

"You sound like a little whiny girl," Sam told Leo, channeling Valerie.

Leo glared at him. "Not helping, dude," he said.

"Watch it! Watch it! Watch it!" Sides shouted as Valerie swerved to avoid the missile. It flew past her, and she fired back at the jet that had shot at her. It spiraled down to the ground, colliding with the ground and letting out a giant explosion.

Valerie aimed at another jet, letting off a short burst of bullets to its engine. This jet fell, as well, and Valerie smirked as her number of hits went up to thirty.

Her body filled with adrenaline from the fight, Valerie's eyes went to the giant mother ship about fifty yards away from her. There were only a few more of the drones that she and Sides had been taking out for the past five minutes to shoot through, then they would be able to take out the mother ship.

However, before Valerie could make another move, she felt an extremely large presence of a Decepticon launching towards Earth, or possibly two smaller Decepticons. They were aiming towards Diego Garcia. Before she could say anything to warn Sides, the screen in front of her turned black. It read "GAME OVER." Valerie's inattention had caused her to get killed by on of the drones on the video game that she had been playing with Sides.

Sides threw the controller down on the ground. "What was that about?" he demanded. "We were as close as we've ever been to beating this level, and then you just let a drone come up and shoot you on your starboard side! Since when do you make mistakes like that?"

"Since something more important than a video game happened," Valerie snapped. "Listen, one or two Decepticons are coming to base. I don't know what they're up to, but we need to ready the others for a fight."

He gave her a speculative look. "Are you sure?" he asked. "Why would the Decepticons want to come here?"

Valerie glared. "Well, let's think about it," she said dryly. "All the Autobots are here, this is the headquarters of N.E.S.T., the AllSpark fragment is here... what isn't here?"

Sides nodded. "Good point," he replied, causing Valerie to roll her eyes. "Autobots and soldiers, Falcon senses Decepticon presences," he announced through his radio. "Meet in the armory."

She glared at him. "Why is my code name 'Falcon?'" she demanded as she stood and headed towards the armory.

"Because you warn us about things that are a long way off," Sides answered automatically, getting up and following her.

Valerie rolled her eyes. "'Falcon' doesn't sound cool," she told him "Neither does 'Big Buddha.' I have no clue how you guys came up with that. My name should be, like, the Most Awesome Girl On Earth or something."

Sides scoffed as they opened the doors of the armory. As they did, the alarms started blaring. "Activation of motion sensors on the western perimeter fence," it warned.

Valerie rolled her eyes again. "I told you that we should just get rid of those sensors. I know where the Decepticons are coming way before them," she told Sides.

The rest of the Autobots and a few N.E.S.T. soldiers were already in the armory. The soldiers were fully armed, and the Autobots had their weapons ready. "One or two Decepticons are coming," Valerie told them instantly. "Either two small ones or one big one, I can't tell." She looked at each of them, meeting their eyes and holding their gaze for a second. "I think they're after the shard."

Chaos erupted, and Lennox had to shoot a blank into the air to get everyone to be quiet. Valerie nodded to him, showing her gratitude. "We need to move," she continued. "Defending the shard is our main priority, okay?" They nodded. Valerie sent a small smirk to Optimus before shouting, "Roll out!"

After a few minutes, Valerie and a few other soldiers entered the vault. The Autobots had circled around to guard the back door of the base, while the N.E.S.T. soldiers had the front doors. "The shard's gone," one of the soldiers observed.

"It's still here," Valerie told them. "I sense it. There's a Decepticon here, too. Be on your toes, guys."

Just as she finished speaking, she heard a soldier scream, and she turned around. A Decepticon that was so skinny that it was almost 2D was standing there. It made a run for it and turned so that its skinny side was facing the soldiers, making it seem invisible. However, Valerie could sense where it was and shot at it. She was rewarded with a hiss, but the Decepticon didn't slow.

Valerie ran out of the vault, on the heels of the Decepticon. However, there was the sound of a missile being launched, and Valerie ducked as the ground next to her exploded. The second Decepticon was probably hiding somewhere and shooting at them. The brief moment of distraction caused the skinny Decepticon to be able to slip out of Valerie's sight, and soon it had joined the other Decepticon. They dived into the ocean and out of the soldiers' field of fire.

"Crap!" Valerie shouted, banging on a nearby N.E.S.T. vehicle. "They have the shard!" She looked at the Autobots, who had just rolled in. "Where the hell were you guys?"

Optimus transformed out of his alt mode. "Taking care of another Decepticon who decided to approach from the east side," he answered. "Who has possession of the shard?"

"They took it," Valerie told him. "They had a super-skinny Decepticon who we could hardly see. I think I got a shoot in, though."

Optimus frowned. "This is grave news," he said. "Valerie, go with Bumblebee to get Sam from his college. I must speak with him. Bring him to the cemetery."

Valerie looked behind Optimus to see Bee with the other Autobots. She assumed that Sam had kicked him out because freshmen at his college weren't allowed to have cars on campus. "Hey, Bee," she greeted him. "I missed you."

" _You're going through six degrees of separation,"_ Bee's radio chirped.

She rolled her eyes and turned to Optimus. "I'll see you at the graveyard, then," she said.

"Be careful, Valerie," Optimus replied seriously, concern in his eyes. "I will see you soon."

Valerie nodded. "See ya," she agreed before hopping into the drivers seat of the yellow Camaro. "No promises about being careful, though."

Valerie looked around at the people dancing around her and tried to see Sam. Bee had let her out of the car in front of the frat house's doors, and she had entered the party a few minutes ago. Even though she had been searching relentlessly, she saw couldn't find any sign of him. Where could a socially awkward guy hide?

Suddenly, she heard some crashes from outside and a car alarm that sounded awfully familiar. She ran to the window and saw Bee parked in the bushes in front of the frat house. Before she could fight her way out of the room, Sam ran into the car, and a few minutes later, a blonde girl entered the car as well. The three of them took off, and maybe it was just her imagination, but she felt Bee's presence was a bit stronger than she was used to.

"Crap!" she cursed. "Seriously, Bee? You have to leave me? Optimus is sooo gonna hear about this." She pushed her way out of the house, and after finding a secluded area, turned her Transformium into a motorcycle and took off. Soon she was a few cars behind the yellow striped Camaro.

The car suddenly swerved off of the road and did a strange spin so that it was parked on the curb. After a few seconds and a lot of screaming, Valerie saw the blonde girl walk out of the car with guck all over her face. Valerie burst out laughing and didn't stop until she had pulled up next to Sam's car.

"Valerie?" he demanded, seeing her. Then he sighed. "I shoulda known that you were behind this. What type of a prank is this?"

She smirked. "It's not a prank," she told him, jumping into the passengers seat of the car after changing her Transformium back into its normal shape. "But that was a good move, Bee."

" _All the right moves_ ," Bee sang, causing her to laugh.

A disgruntled Sam climbed into the car, and Bee took off. "You should have been more careful in Shanghai, Val," he said.

Valerie turned to him sharply. "How did you know what happened in Shanghai? That was supposed to be classified," she replied tensely. "How much did you see?"

"My roommates have a government conspiracy theory," he told her. "They found the video on line. By the way, they were checking out your legs. And I only saw that bit where you and Optimus crashed through the bridge with that Decepticon."

Valerie let out a sigh. "Thank God," she muttered. "You didn't see it all."

"Are you hiding something from me?" Sam demanded as Bee made a sharp turn onto the highway.

She smirked at him. "It's classified," she answered. "Can't tell you anything that you didn't already know."

Sam let out a groan. "You loved that, didn't you," he said. "You're loving keeping information from me, aren't you? Yeah, you are. Of course you are. Sometimes I think that you're out to get me."

"Because I am, dear Sammy," she teased, elbowing him in the ribs.

A few minutes later, they pulled into the cemetery. Valerie saw Optimus right away (she had sensed him for a while) and jumped out of Bee before he even stopped moving. She hurried up to Optimus, and once he saw her, he picked her up and put her on his shoulder.

"I'm glad to see that you're safe," he told her.

Valerie nodded and smiled at him. "Missed you," she said. "But I have to say, I wasn't happy when Bee left me at that frat house party to take Sam and that blonde girl away. I would have been left there if I hadn't changed my Transformium into a motorcycle." Bee let out an apologetic beep, and she laughed. "I'm kidding, Bee. It's fine."

"You won't give me one day, huh? You won't give me one day in college?" Sam demanded from the ground.

Valerie frowned at him, but he ignored her and glared at Optimus. "The shard of the Cube was stolen last night," she told Sam. "By the Decepticons. I don't know what they're gonna do with it, but it's gonna be bad."

"We placed it under human protection at your government's request. But I'm here for your help, Sam. Because your leaders believe that we brought vengeance upon your planet. Perhaps they are right. That is why they must be reminded by another human of the trust we share."

Sam crossed his arms stubbornly. "What about Valerie?" he asked. "She's closer to you guys than I am! She's the better choice."

She rolled her eyes. "The government doesn't consider me fully human because of my abilities," she answered, rolling her eyes. "And they think that all of the soldiers have biased opinions, so we can't defend the Autobots."

"Your world must not share the same fate as Cybertron," Optimus told Sam. A sad expression came over his face. "Whole generations lost." Valerie patted the side of his head consolingly, causing him to give her a brief smile before turning back to Sam.

Sam took a deep breath. "I want to help you, I do. But I'm not some alien ambassador, you know? I'm a normal kid with normal problems. I am where I'm supposed to be. I'm sorry, I really am."

"Fate rarely calls upon us at a moment of our choosing, Sam," Optimus said gravely, staring at Sam's back as he climbed back into Bee, who took off back out of the cemetery to Sam's college. "We need you more than you know."

Valerie sighed and leaned against Optimus's head. "I'm sorry that that didn't go the way you wanted," she told him.

"You could have done nothing to change the outcome of it, Valerie," Optimus replied. "You have nothing to apologize for."

She scoffed. "I'm sure Sam wouldn't say the same thing," she said. "Bee and I did just kidnap him from his college."

Optimus laughed as he turned back to his alt mode. Valerie ended up in the drivers seat, and Optimus buckled her in. "We should head back to base," he told her. "I am sure that your leaders wish to talk to me about what happened last night."

"They're not my leaders," she corrected. "Not anymore. I only follow one person, Optimus. You."

He didn't say anything for a minute, but then the seatbelt gave her a slight squeeze. "Thank you, Valerie," he said quietly.

"No prob," she replied. "It's just the truth."


	17. Chapter 17

"Look, Galloway," Valerie started, but the said person cut her off.

"It's Director to you, young lady," he told her.

She glared. "Galloway," she continued, ignoring him, "the Autobots are the good guys here. It's the Decepticons who are trying to take over the planet and make everyone slaves. So why don't you grow up and accept that you're on the same side as the Autobots and that the Decepticons are the bad guys?"

" _Alien influence_ is the bad guy, young lady, and you're too young to understand that," Galloway snapped. "And it's _Director_ , not _Galloway_."

Valerie scoffed. "Like I'm an _adult_ , not a _teenager_?" she challenged. "Took you long enough to learn that. And if you're upset about 'alien influence', why don't you talk to the idiots who formed S7? Those guys seemed real interested in not sticking their noses into alien business."

"S7," Galloway told her through gritted teeth, "was not something that everyone agreed on. Those who did realized their mistake after the Battle of Mission City."

She let out a loud, fake gasp. "Did you hear that, people?" she asked, looking around in disbelief. "Galloway isn't agreeing with the White House! It's blasphemy! We have to write down this _exact_ moment!" She turned back to Galloway. "And look- you just said that Mission City showed people the mistake they made with forming S7. News flash- _that wouldn't have happened without the Autobots._ "

"Or the Decepticons, for that matter," Galloway added.

Valerie's eyes hardened. "If you're saying that you'd rather make an alliance with people who want to make you slaves, go ahead," she told him. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

Before she could say more, Morshower (they had formed another video call) interrupted. "I think we've all had enough for one day," he said. "How about we call it quits?"

"Fine," Galloway snapped. "But the-"

"President will hear about this," about ten voices muttered wearily in unison. Galloway gave each of them a long, angry glare before turning and leaving the room.

Once the doors closed behind Galloway, Valerie sighed and leaned back in her chair. She, and most of the others on base, were glad to see the back of him. The meeting about the shard had been horrible; Galloway was accusing the Autobots for its loss, and Optimus was too noble to defend the Autobots, so Valerie felt like it was her duty. Long story short, most of the three hour long meeting had been a shouting match between Valerie and Galloway with a few interruptions from Morshower, Lennox, or Optimus.

"Take the rest of the day off, Valerie," Optimus (in his holoform) said, noting her weariness.

She shook her head stubbornly. "No, I need to train," she told him, pushing her hair out of her eyes and standing up. "I'm gonna hit the fitness room for about twenty minutes to get warmed up, then I'm gonna go to Hangar Three to practice. Wanna meet me there?"

"Actually, I might come with you to the fitness room," Optimus replied. "I never understood the appeal of a treadmill."

Before she could reply, Valerie's phone rang. she pulled it out of her pocket and answered the call without checking the caller ID. "Val, you gotta help us!" Sam shouted over the loud noise of what sound like a helicopter. A helicopter? He was supposed to be in college!

"Us?" she repeated, putting the phone on speaker. "Go back a few steps, Sam. Who's there? What's going on? Where are you?" Five w's and one h, Sam. First grade work."

Sam started talking the instant she closed her mouth, the words coming out in a jumble. "We're kidnapped by Decepticons!" he told her. "We're... Guys, where are we?" After a few seconds of conversation with whoever else was with him, Sam continued. "We're over a river."

"What river?" Valerie asked, exasperated.

He apparently had to confer with the other people with him, because he didn't reply immediately. "I don't know!" he finally reported. "Can't you track the call?

"On it," Jolt told Valerie. "Here, I'm sending the coordinates to Optimus."

The Prime nodded. "Coordinates received," he replied. "We will be there soon, Sam." Valerie hung up and looked at Optimus, silently asking for instructions. "Bumblebee, Valerie, with me. Everyone else, be in the area. If we need help, I want to be able to call on you. Autobots, roll out!"

"I... think that we have an opportunity to start anew here and... and develop our relationship and see where it goes, okay?" Sam said panickedly to Megatron as Starscream watched and the doctor climbed over his chest. "So why don't you call off Doctor Inspector and let's talk for five seconds! Wait wait wait wait wa-"

Before he could finish, a familiar red and blue figure burst through the ceiling. It was Optimus. Sam breathed a sigh of relief as the Prime started attacking Megatron and Starscream. Another familiar figure landed on the ground next to the table that Sam was laying on. This time it was a human, distinguishable by her rocker-style clothing and multicolored hair.

Valerie picked up the doctor by one of his legs. "Aw, he's cute!" she squealed, reaching out with a finger to tickle his belly. "Look at him! He's so tiny!" The doctor let out a string of Cybertronian curses and started shooting the harmless little gun that he had at Valerie.

She instantly dropped him. "Not cute!" she declared as he scuttled away. Sam turned to see that Bee had come to help, as well. "C'mon, Sam, let's go!" She tugged Sam out of the building, Mikaela and Leo following them.

"Dude, it's that chick from the Shanghai vid!" Leo exclaimed, obviously disbelieving his eyes. "And you said that she wasn't real!"

Sam ducked a flying piece of debris. "The aliens are real and you're concerned about the girl?" he demanded. "Leo, meet Valerie, my best friend! Valerie, meet Leo, my tech-obsessed crazy roommate. Happy? Now let's get out of here?"

"Are you single?" Leo asked Valerie hopefully.

She gave him a disgusted look and shoved him ahead of her so that he was running abreast with Sam and Mikaela instead of her. "I'm way out of your league and dating the red and blue guy, so I'm not interested," she snapped. Then her eyes widened, and she pulled them all to a stop. "Stop!" she ordered. As if on cue, Optimus came barreling out of the building, crashing through a wall in the process. Bee drove up in his alt mode. "Mikaela, Leo, get in the car."

"What about Sam?" Mikaela asked. "Or you, for that matter?"

Valerie glanced at Optimus. "Sam will be safest with Optimus," she answered. "And I'm not leaving Optimus's side. Now go!" Without any further hesitation, Mikaela and Leo slid into the car. Bee took off.

Optimus had finished up his battle with Megatron and turned into his alt mode. "Sam, Valerie!" he shouted. The two of them slid into the car, Valerie in the drivers seat. Optimus started driving and soon turned onto a forest road.

"He's getting closer, Optimus," Valerie warned, sensing the presence of Megatron. She knew that he intended to fight all the Decepticons off by himself while she and Sam hid, but she wasn't letting that happen any time soon. She had told Mikaela that she wouldn't leave Optimus, and she had meant it.

Sam glanced at the rearview mirror and snapped his gaze back to the front quickly, his eyes wide. "Yup," he agreed faintly. "Here he comes." The next second, Megatron fired his cannons at them. Optimus transformed, and Valerie and Sam were launched from the seats, flying into the air. The two of them hit the ground at the same time. Valerie rolled the second she hit the ground and was able to spare herself a lot of pain, but Sam had ended up landing on his side on the ground.

"Get up, you idiot!" Valerie shouted, grabbing his arm and pulling him to the cover of the trees. Sam eventually gathered his wits and stumbled forward with her. Once Sam was safely hidden, Valerie turned towards Optimus. "I'm going to help him."

She was in the process of standing up when Sam reached out and grabbed her wrist. "You could die," he told her.

"I know," she replied. "but I can't let Optimus die. I'd never forgive myself if that happened." She shook off Sam and ran towards Optimus, hand reaching into her pocket for her Transformium.

But she found nothing.

Valerie desperately stuck her hand in her other pocket. No Transformium there, either. Her eyes went to the ground, searching, as she used her powers to try to find her piece of Transformium. The problem was, Optimus and Megatron were such big Transformers that they completely overpowered the signature from the piece of metal.

A sense of panic began to overwhelm her. What if she couldn't find her Transformium? What then? She wouldn't be able to help Optimus! What if he died because she hadn't been responsible enough and kept her Transformium safe?

Then she felt it.

Only there was a small problem.

It was two feet away from Megatron.

"Shit," she muttered.

Without thinking, she ran forward and tried not to get stomped on by Optimus or Megatron. That wouldn't exactly be the death that she had pictured for herself. She heard Optimus shouting taunts at Megatron, but she tuned him out and focused on getting to her Transformium safely.

There were only a few more yards left until she reached the Transformium. However, Megatron had called for reinforcements, and soon Starscream and another Decepticon that Valerie had never seen before flew in. Valerie lunged forward and slid the last few yards baseball style. She finally felt her hands close around the familiar size of the Transformium. The light that only activated when she was in dire need suddenly flew out of the Transformium, blocking a missile that Starscream had shot at her that she hadn't even realized was there.

"Oh, that's it, dude," Valerie muttered. She felt her anger grow, and she lashed out with her light, causing Starscream to retreat a few yards. The coward turned around and started helping Megatron fight Optimus. Valerie hurried after him.

Megatron was in the middle of telling Optimus something. "... another source of Energon on this planet!" he shouted. "The boy could lead us to it!" He sent Optimus flying to the ground.

"Optimus!" Valerie shrieked, causing the Decepticons to turn to her.

Megatron smirked. "The Hudson," he said. "So you're still around. How much longer will it be until Prime gets tired of you and your boring race and turns to other people more worthy?"

Valerie glared and struck out with her light. Megatron apparently remembered it from Mission City, because he backed away so rapidly that he ran into Starscream, sending both of them falling to the ground and taking down a few trees. Megatron jumped up hurriedly.

"You will pay for that, human," he growled, lifting his cannon and aiming at her. Valerie turned her light into a shield in front of her, prepared for the attack.

Optimus, from his spot on the ground, let out a cough. "Leave her alone!" he shouted. "The problems that our species have should not affect the humans!"

Megatron turned to him, sneering. "I'd have thought that you would choose a femme more like us, Prime," he snapped.

He glared. "We are nothing alike, Megatron," Optimus said. "She is more noble than you will ever be. Her and the boy."

"Is the future of our race not worth a single human life?" Megatron asked.

The last statement seemed to give Optimus strength. "You'll never stop at one," he growled. "I'll take you all on!" He stood up and resumed his fight with Megatron.

Valerie was jerked brutally back to reality when Starscream fired at her. "Oh no you didn't," she muttered angrily. She struck out with her light (which was back in a whip/ rope form) and curled it around Starscream's arm. After a brutal yank, his arm fell right off.

"My arm!" Starscream shrieked.

She glared at him. "You sound like a whiny baby," she told him. "Wimp."

Valerie turned to see that Optimus had taken care of the other Decepticon. She couldn't see Megatron anywhere but sensed his body somewhere in the area. She wasn't sure if he was dead or not.

"Are you uninjured?" Optimus asked instantly, catching sight of her.

She nodded. "Not a scratch," she said. "What about you? You took a beating."

He shrugged. "Nothing Ratchet can't fix," he replied. Then he looked around, alarmed. "Sam? Sam, where are you?"

Valerie saw movement out of the corner of her eye. Starscream suddenly barreled out of the trees, cannon out. "No!" Valerie shouted, moving her shield in front of Optimus and leaving herself open for attack. Starscream's shot bounced off the shield, and he turned to her angrily. Valerie kept her shield in front of Optimus as the Prime turned, not even noticing what had just happened.

Starscream didn't attack her right away, which puzzled her. His eyes seemed fixed on a spot behind her, strangely. Maybe he had seen Sam. Valerie tensed.

"No! Valerie!" Optimus exclaimed. She turned to see Megatron running at her open back from the trees, sword out. The next thing she knew, Optimus threw himself in front of the sword, causing Megatron to impale him instead of Valerie.

For a few seconds, Valerie just stood in shock, not comprehending what had just happened. Optimus...

Then she felt a mad rage fill her. "That's it!" she shouted angrily, turning to face Megatron and Starscream. She heard Optimus mutter some last words to Sam, but she focused on the Decepticons. She stuck out at Megatron first and watched with satisfaction as he jumped backwards. "You killed my dad in Qatar." She then turned to Starscream. "You chase after my best friend over a freaking pair of _glasses_. You endanger my life. You turn me into a fighter. And you _kill_ my _boyfriend._ You are _in_ for it!"

Before she could do anything else, the other Autobots came out of the trees, aiming at Megatron and Starscream. "Valerie, Sam, get out of here!" Ratchet ordered.

She felt Sam's arms around her, trying to pull her out of the area. But Valerie wouldn't leave. The Decepticons had hell to pay.

"No!" she shouted, fighting against Sam. "No! I'm going to kill him! I'm going to kill him!"

Sam, surprisingly, was able to keep a hold on her. "Valerie! We need to get out of here!" he said. "Optimus's last words were for me to protect you, Val, and I'm not going to disobey them! So let's _move!_ " That stunned her enough for her to stop fighting. Sam was able to tug her away, towards Bumblebee. Bee opened the doors, and Sam pushed Valerie into the backseat before getting in himself. Mikaela and Leo were already in there.

"What happened?" Leo asked instantly as Bee took off. Valerie curled up in a ball in the corner and started sobbing on Sam's shoulder. "Did someone die?"

Sam glared at Leo. "Shut up," he said.

"Seriously! Did someone di-"

"Dude. Shut. Your. Mouth," Sam snapped. Leo's mouth slammed shut at the serious tone in Sam's voice.

Valerie pulled out her phone and pressed number 3 on her speed dial. Her Uncle Will. Tears still flowed freely down her face, but she knew that she needed to tell him. "This is Lennox," he said. Valerie assumed that he was in a helicopter because of the noise. He had also probably connected his phone to his earpiece, because he didn't know that it was her calling.

"Optimus died protecting Sam and I," she told him.

The silence from Uncle Will was deafening.


	18. Chapter 18

"Val, are you okay?" Sam asked for what seemed like the thousandth time. She ignored him, like she had been doing, and stayed curled up in a corner.

A few hours ago, they had reached a safe location (only Bee, Skids, and Mudflap knew exactly where they were). Valerie had instantly hidden in her corner and refused to talk to anyone. Sam and Mikaela were trying to comfort her while Leo wandered off somewhere. Sam didn't care about Leo right now; his main concern was Valerie. She had just watched Optimus die for her. That couldn't be something that anyone, even someone as tough as Valere, could get over easily.

Sam could tell already that this was going to be worse than when her father had been declared missing- he had seen how close she was to Optimus. Even though Sam wasn't the one who had been dating the Prime (that would have been kind of awkward, to say the least), he could hardly imagine life without Optimus being there to protect the human race and lead the Autobots. He couldn't even begin to comprehend what Valerie was probably feeling right now. Like Mikaela had said on the first day that they had met the Autobots, Sam had never had to give up anything in his short life.

"Fine," Sam sighed. "If you don't want to talk to me, fine. Just remember that I'll be here if you need to get it off your chest, alright?"

He stood up and was about to leave the room when Valerie spoke. "This is all my fault," she told him quietly. "If I had just been more alert, or if I had made sure that you were safe, this wouldn't have happened."

Sam sat back down and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Hey, don't say that," he said. "If anything, this is all my fault. If I had told you guys about the symbols in my head that the Decepticons wanted, I probably would have been toted off to base and kept safe there."

Valerie's head snapped up. "What symbols?" she asked.

"I don't know, but I think they're Cybertronian," he answered. "I wrote them when I had a mental breakdown in class and tried to prove Einstein wrong."

She frowned. "Show me," she ordered, pulling out her Transformium and turning it into a knife. She tossed it to Sam, who stuck it in the dirt and started carving. After a while, he sat back on his heels and showed it to Valerie. Her frown instantly deepened. "Optimus..." she started, but then her eyes filled up with tears and she reworded her sentence. "I was learning Cybertronian before all this happened, but this stuff is beyond me. I only know a few symbols."

"Enough to piece together what the others mean?" Mikaela asked hopefully. She had been sitting silently for the last few minutes, and for a second it seemed like Valerie had forgotten about her.

Valerie recovered and shook her head. "Only one or two," she answered. "This one means 'dawn', this one means 'tip', this one means 'kings'... That's all I know." She sighed and curled back up in a ball, interest in the subject lost. "Now I wish that I paid more attention to my lessons when I had the chance. I wish I had done a lot of more things when I had the chance." She turned to Sam. "But you're right. These symbols are obviously important to the Decepticons if they were going to kill you to get them. If you told us sooner, this probably wouldn't have happened." She paused, then went on. "Don't worry, I'm not mad at you. But the next time something like this happens, you come to me ASAP, okay?" He nodded. "Now tell me the whole story."

So he spent the next few minutes telling Valerie about what had happened since he touched the shard of the Cube, not leaving anything out. He even told her about everything Alice had said to him in hope that it would somehow be enough information for Valerie to guess what the Decepticons were up to. However, by the time he had finished, Valerie was as stony faced as she had been when he had started.

"If you told us about this shard earlier, it would have changed a lot," Valerie told him, causing Sam to immediately feel even guiltier than he already was, which wasn't something that he had ever thought could happen. "But this shard... I thought I sensed some Transformium coming from you, Mikaela."

Before Mikaela could reply, Leo came running up to them, phone in hand. "Hey bro, you need to listen this, man," he said, panic in his voice. "You gotta see this." Leo shoved his phone in Sam's face, showing him the news. "They have a picture of me, man. We're dead now, bro. FBI, CIA, we're wanted fugitives now!"

"I honestly think that that's the least of our worries," Valerie snapped irritably. It didn't take a genius to figure out that she was annoyed by Leo annoying all of them, especially at this sensitive time.

But Leo didn't get the hint and kept talking. "This thing has blown up to a whole other level, alright? You-"

Sam decided to step in before Valerie exploded. "You know what?" he said. "Give me this thing." He yanked the phone from Leo's hand and walked outside. "They can track us. Can you see this?" Sam threw the phone to the ground and started stomping on it so that it was completely destroyed, ignoring Leo's dumbstruck expression.

"What?" Leo demanded. "They can track us? Like, satellite-track us? Okay, I'm not even with you guys! Technically I'm like a hostage. This is kidnapping! Enough is-"

Valerie, who had come out of the building after them, scoffed. "Why would we want to hold you hostage? Nobody would want you. In fact, they would _thank_ us for getting you off their hands."

Before Leo could defend himself, the Autobot twins came out of nowhere. "You, Le-yo!" Mudflap shouted.

Leo jumped at the sound of Mudflap's voice. "I swear, one day that thing's going to give me a heart attack," he muttered angrily.

"That's 'cause yous a wuss!" Mudflap exclaimed happily.

Leo turned back to Sam. "You guys forced me into that car, right, so-"

Mudflap cut him off again. "Ooh, I think he's scared," he teased.

Valerie sighed. "What the hell are we going to do with you?" she groaned.

"Let's pop a cap in his ass, throw him in the trunk and then nobody gonna know nothing, know what I mean?" Mudflap suggested.

Skids grimaced. "Not in my trunk," he said.

Leo groaned. "Yo, bumper cars?" he asked loudly, causing Skids and Mudflap to turn to him in disbelief.

"Bumper cars?" Skids demanded, indignant.

Leo glared. "Cut it out. I'm hearing you. Okay? I'm right here, and I can hear you! No one's popping any caps in any asses, okay? I've had a hell of a day!"

Valerie glared at him. "Guess what, Leo?" she snapped. "Sam, Mikaela, and I went through this same exact thing two years ago. Do you think we knew what was going on? No! Did we survive? Hell yeah! You don't even know what a hell of a day is, because if you think that _your_ version of today was hell, you haven't stepped anywhere _near_ my footprints! You got that?" Without waiting for an answer, she stormed off, leaving Leo dumbstruck.

"Oooh, you got her mad," Skids said.

Leo frowned. "What's her problem?" he demanded. "She's acting like someone died."

"Someone did die," Sam told him wearily. "Ever wonder where the red and blue guy went? Or were you too concerned about yourself to notice that he was gone?" It seemed like everyone else mirrored Valerie's opinion on Leo.

Leo's mouth opened then closed. He looked a lot like a gaping fish, and only the grief of Optimus dying prevented everyone from cracking up. Finally, Leo choked out, "I thought he was the leader."

"He was," Sam agreed.

"Then why did he die?"

Sam glared. "You didn't see what he did," he told Leo. "He fought off three Decepticons, mostly by himself. One of them was the leader. Nobody would have lasted that long against them besides Optimus. Well, nobody besides possibly Valerie."

"What's so special about her?" Leo asked. "I mean, everyone treats her like she can fight, but she's just like us. How can she take down a Decepticon by herself."

Sam didn't answer right away. Instead, he stared at where Valerie was sitting alone on Bee's hood. He could tell that she was crying because she thought nobody was paying attention to her. "That's a story for another day," he told Leo.

A few hours and a lot of arguments later, it was dark. Valerie still hadn't said anything to the group. She couldn't bring herself to; Sam's roommate didn't know what he was talking about at all. He didn't know when he had crossed too many lines. She couldn't stand him, especially after Optimus died...

Valerie instantly felt another pang of sadness. She was never going to be able to talk to him like she did, or feel his comforting presence supporting her through hard times... He was gone. Gone for good. And she would never be able to tell him the things that she had always meant to say but never got around to.

She closed her eyes as she felt the tears fall. Bee, who was still beside her and in his alt mode, honked quietly. Valerie patted his hood but didn't look up. The grief was too strong.

After a while, Valerie felt herself start to drift. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, letting long-overdue sleep come.

She felt herself fall asleep, but the next instant, she was awake again. However, she was in a bright desert. She was surrounded by tall black rocks on both sides, and there was another black rock in front of her, even though it was only half the height of the others.

"Hello?" she shouted. "Is anyone here?"

"We normally do not talk to humans this way," a familiar voice said from behind her.

Valerie turned around, a broad smile on her face. Then when she saw who had spoken, her smile-as well as her joy- slid away. She had been so sure that that had been Optimus speaking... "Who are you?" she asked the tall black figure. It was definitely a Cybertronian.

"I am one of the thirteen Primes," he told her. Six other figures that looked exactly like him walked up behind him. "And these are my brothers." The first Prime knelt so that he was closer to her. The action reminded her of Optimus, but she shoved those thoughts away. "I am here to tell you not to grieve for our last descendant."

Valerie frowned. "Not to grieve?" she repeated incredulously. "Not to grieve? I loved him! Of course I'm going to grieve!"

The second Prime shook his head. "My brother did not mean it that way," he said. "You will be reunited with him soon, and not in death, if our plan works the way that we hope. So you do not need to grieve for his momentary absence.

"Valerie Hudson, you have fought for Optimus with unchanging loyalty. You never strayed from his side and your ideals once," the second Prime continued. "There is nothing that we can give you that can come close to repaying you for that. But we have knowledge that will help you in days to come."

Then the Primes spoke together, saying twelve chilling words that changed Valerie's view on everything that she had learned in the past two years.

The next thing she knew, she was awake and back on Earth.

Valerie heard talking, and she turned to see Sam, Mikaela, Skids, Mudflap, and Bee sitting together. She headed over and sat down by Sam. "We don't really do much reading," Mudflap was saying. "Not so much."

Sam frowned. "If you can't read them, we gotta find someone who can," Sam replied.

"Well, look who came sashaying back," Skids teased. Valerie turned her head to see Leo standing there, looking abashed.

The guy took a deep breath. "I had a bit of a mild panic attack earlier, right?" he said.

"That's cuz you a pussy," Mudflap told him, causing him and Skids to start laughing.

Leo glared. "I think I'm allowed that, considering what I've been through," he snapped. He glanced over at Valerie apologetically. "Not that I've been through the worst today." He turned back to Sam. "I heard that you have a problem. I think I know someone who can help."

"Who?" Sam asked.

He hesitated, as if waiting for dramatic effect. Then he said, "Robowarrior."

Valerie nodded. "Sure," she replied. "We'll go tomorrow." Then she fixed them all with a serious look. "Guys, I just talked to the Primes."

" _The_ Primes?" Sam demanded. "Like _the_ Primes?"

She rolled her eyes. "I think I said that," she told him. "But yeah, I did. They told me that I was going to 'be reunited with Optimus soon.'"

"Does that mean that you're going to die?" Mikaela asked. Then she winced. "Sorry, I didn't mean for it to come out harsh like that."

Valerie shook her head. "No prob," she replied. "And no, they said that it wouldn't be in death. I have no clue what that meant. And they told me something else, as well."

Leo leaned forward, barely able to keep calm. "What was it?" he demanded. "Tell us, tell us!"

She took a deep breath and looked them each in the eye before telling them what the Primes had told her only a few minutes before.

" _Your true power is beyond anything that anyone could have ever imagined._ "


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: Woo hoo! More than 100 favs! Thanks, guys!

"This guy, Robowarrior?" Leo told them as they drove towards an address that Leo gave them. "Everything about alien, he's supposed to know. One time we revenge-hacked his site and maybe I saw some of your... uh... alien drawings or whatever."

Valerie, who was sitting next to him in Bee's backseat, scoffed. "Revenge-hacked?" she repeated. "What did he ever do to you?"

"He steals stuff off of Leo's site," Sam explained before Leo could say something that would get Valerie even more pissed. "Like the Shanghai vid."

She grimaced. "That was supposed to be a classified government op," she said. "That video shouldn't be up on the Internet."

"Oh, yeah? Well, what about that message about the Fallen, whoever that is?" Leo demanded. "Yeah, I saw that 'end of the line of the Hudsons' thing? You were there, you know that it sounds like humans are going to be threatened. Why does the government have the right to keep that information from the Hudson family?"

Sam angrily turned around from the front seat. "What was that?" he asked. "Valerie, you'd better come clean about this right now."

"Exactly!" Leo exclaimed, misunderstanding Sam's anger. "The Hudsons deserve to know about this!"

Sam glared at Leo. "Dude. Shut up," he snapped. He jabbed his finger in Valerie's direction. " _She's_ a Hudson. The only one left that we know of." He turned back to Valerie. "What happened in Shanghai?"

Valerie glared at Leo, too. "Just ask him," she snapped, gesturing to Leo. "Cause he seems to have all the answers about the Shanghai op."

Before any of them could reply, the three Autobots slowed to a stop. They all looked out the windows to see a deli shop on a corner in a ratty-looking town. "This is it," Leo announced. "Yep. Deli. Good front! Alright, wait here. I'll give you the go/ no go." He was in the process of stepping out of the car when Valerie sighed loudly. She unbuckled her seatbelt and slid out of the car, slamming the door behind her. Leo gave her a blank look. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Coming in with you. You're my boyfriend and you're taking me on a romantic date to the deli, alright?" Valerie said. Leo was about to protest, but she held up her finger. "I don't want to do this either, but I'm a good actress. Knowing you, you're gonna end up failing at this and getting our cover blown." Leo grimaced but let Valerie walk ahead of him.

The two of them entered the deli shop after a small argument about Leo wrapping his arm around Valerie's waist. Neither of them had really wanted to do it, but it would sell their boyfriend/girlfriend cover. Leo didn't want to get his arm ripped off if he said something tactless (as he always did when it came to Valerie) and it brought back painful memories to Valerie because Optimus was the last person who had touched her like that. But Valerie had put those memories on a shelf in the back of her head; they needed to know what the symbols meant, needed to know what the Decepticons had wanted, needed to know what Optimus had died for.

"Number forty two, we got your kishka, knish, kasha-varnishka and kreplach combo right here. Cash only. Who's next?" a familiar voice shouted.

Valerie turned towards the man with a slack jaw. "No way," she muttered.

It was Simmons.

Leo looked from Valerie to Simmons. "Do you guys... know each other?" he asked.

"Know each other?" Valerie demanded loudly, causing a few heads to turn to her and then quickly turn away when they saw her expression. "That's the guy who tried to arrest us because we had contact with the Autobots!"

At the last few words, Simmons turned to Valerie. When he saw her, his eyes widened. "You?" he snapped.

Valerie regained her cool and walked up to the deli counter. She reached for a number and read it off. "Forty three," she read. She turned to Simmons. "I think it's my turn."

For a few seconds, Simmons was shocked, but he shook his head to clear it. "What do you want, then?" he asked.

Valerie leaned forward so that she was only inches away from his face. "A way to read Cybertronian glyphs," she whispered. She leaned back and smiled like she had just ordered her food. "Do you have that?" Simmons's mouth opened and closed like a gaping fish. Valerie smirked and continued. "See, my friend over there," she said as she pointed over her shoulder to Leo, "runs TheRealEffingDeal-dot-com. He said that a certain 'Robowarrior' lives here. Am I right in assuming that that's you?" Simmons nodded, still speechless. "Then we need to talk to you."

"We?" Simmons demanded, recovering his voice. As if on cue, the door to the shop opened, and Sam and Mikaela stepped in. Simmons's eyes widened. "No," he stated.

Sam yanked his hood off so that he got a better view of Simmons. "You've got to be kidding me," he said.

Valerie angrily stomped over to Sam and roughly yanked the hood back over his face. "You're wanted by every single government on the face of the Earth, Sam," she hissed. "Don't take off the hood."

"Alright, meat store's closed!" Simmons shouted. "Everybody out!" After a quick argument with one of his employees and customers, Simmons turned to them.

Leo looked from Sam to Simmons. "Wait a minute," he said. "Do all of you guys know this guy?"

"We're old friends," Sam replied.

At that statement, Valerie and Simmons gaped at him, expressions identical. "Old friends?" they demanded together. "This guy arrested us and tortured Bee and tried to stop us from defeating the Decepticons!" Valerie protested loudly.

"And you're the case that shut down Sector Seven!" Simmons shouted. "No security clearance, no retirement, no nothing! All 'cause of you and your little criminal girlfriend!"

Valerie glared. "Don't forget me," she snapped. "I actually take pride in shutting down S7, dude. You guys were a corrupted, short-sighted agency that deserved to be shut down. And it serves you right. You live with your mama now?"

"No, my mama lives with me," Simmons corrected impatiently, "There's a big difference. Now get out, out, out! They've got your face all over the news and NBE- One is kicking again. I don't need that in my life. Out!"

He tried to push them out, but Valerie stubbornly stood her ground. "Look, you have no clue what we're going through right now. Leo is freaking out because he just found out that the giant alien robots that he's been posting videos about are hunting him, his roommate, his roommate's girlfriend, and his roommate's best friend."

"And that his crush was one of those alien robots," Sam reminded her. "You can't forget that."

Valerie rolled her eyes. "Thank you, Sam," she said in an impatient tone. "I just watched my boyfriend jump in front of Megatron's sword and die for me, not to mention I had a vision of the Primes telling me to question everything that I've learned in the past two years. And Sam... well, Sam is a wanted fugitive for no reason and is slowly going crazy by writing Cybertronian symbols all over the place. So you think you got it rough?"

"And I had a little crab-bot plunge a device deep into the soft tissues of my brain and started projecting those Cybertronian symbols like a freaking home movie," Sam added.

Simmons looked at Sam. "You said it projected images off of your brain?" he asked. Sam nodded. "Meat locker, now!"

A few minutes later, they were in the meat locker, surrounded by dead pigs that were hung on the ceiling. "What you're about to see is top secret," Simmons warned them. "Do not tell my mother."

Valerie started cracking up. "Don't tell your mother?" she repeated. "God, you sound like a kid!" Simmons glared at her.

Simmons opened a hatch on the ground and entered it, climbing down the ladder into a completely different underground room. Sam, Mikaela, and Leo carefully descended after him, but Valerie waited until the others were all on the ground. She slid down the ladder instead of putting her feet in the rungs. When she landed, she let out a curse.

"You shouldn't have done that," Simmons commented. "Now you're not going to be able to walk because of that bad landing."

Valerie glared. "It's not that," she snapped. She lifted her hand in front of her face, and after turning her Transformium into a tweezer, plucked something out of her hand. She flicked it away and looked up at all of them. "Splinter," she explained.

Everyone rolled their eyes and went to exploring the room. "Okay, files, files," Simmons muttered. "We're talking about symbols." Valerie leafed through some papers and saw some pictures of Optimus and the others in the Battle of Mission City. Her eyes instantly filled with tears when seeing the pictures Optimus in battle. She was going to miss him...

That caused her thoughts to turn to what the Primes had said. They had told her that she wouldn't die but be with Optimus again... how was that possible? That meant that he would have to be brought back to life, but were the Autobots even able to do that? Valerie was pretty sure that doing something like that would require resources that the Autobots, at this moment, didn't have.

"Ey!" Simmons shouted, causing Valerie's head to snap up. She saw him pointing at Leo, who was about to touch the head of the Decepticon that Mikaela had killed with a fork two years ago. "Still radioactive. Hands off. Okay, Cube-brain. Any of these look like the symbols you saw?" He showed them pictures of a few of the symbols that Sam had written.

Valerie nodded. "That's it," she said. "I recognize a few of these glyphs."

Simmons turned to her. "If you can read Cybertronian, what did you come to me for?" he demanded. "I'm putting my life on the line for you and your friends, little lady, so if this was completely needless..." He trailed off.

"Calm down, dude," Valerie said. "I can only read a handful. I was being taught by..." She didn't finish the sentence, but everyone knew what the last word of the sentence was; Optimus.

Sam broke the silence. "Where did you get this?" he asked Simmons, referring to the pictures.

That was all Simmons needed to get back into action. He climbed up another tall ladder to some files. "Before I got fired, I poached S7's crown jewel," he answered.

"How many crown jewels does S7 have?" Valerie muttered.

Simmons gave her an angry look but continued. "Over seventy five years of alien research, which points to one inescapable fact. The Transformers, they've been here a long, long time. How do I know? Archaeologists found these unexplained markings in ancient ruins all over the world." He tossed down a photo. "China." Another photo. "Egypt." Another photo. "Greece." He turned on a projector that showed a video of archaeologists looking at the symbols on the wall of a ruin. "Shot in 1932. These the symbols you're seeing in your head?"

"Yeah," Sam answered hesitantly.

Simmons pointed to a few more pictures. "Same ones over here, right? So, tell me, how did they end up all drawing the same things?" he asked.

"Aliens," Valerie muttered.

He nodded. "And I think some of them stayed. Check this out." He started showing them pictures of cars and other technology. Valerie only needed one glance to know that they were Cybertronians. "Project: Black Knife. Robots. In disguise. Hiding here all along. We detected radioactive signatures all across the country. I pleaded. On my knees with S7 to investigate it, but they said the readings were infinitesimal, that I... was... obsessed! Me. Can you imagine that?" There was a fever in his eyes that screamed _crazy!,_ and he had gotten so worked up over his speech that he was panting.

"Very easily," Valerie told him earnestly.

Before Simmons could snap at her, Sam spoke. "Megatron said that there was another Energon source here," he told Simmons.

"On Earth," Simmons stated.

Sam nodded. "On Earth," he verified.

"Another source?" Simmons asked.

Valerie rolled her eyes. "I think you need a hearing aide, dude," she said. "Sam already said that stuff. You sound like a broken record."

Once again, Sam spoke before Valerie and Simmons could really get at it. "And that these symbols, the maps in my head, would lead him there," he continued.

"You talk to your Autobot friends about this?" Simmons asked.

Valerie nodded. "It's before them," she answered. "From what Optimus taught me, I'm guessing that this is the language of the Primes. It's an older and more classified form of Cybertronian. Only the Primes and the ones they trust know this language, and a few older Transformers, too. Optimus was teaching me this before he..." Once again, everyone knew what she had been going to say.

"Well, since Little Lady here can't read it, we're porked, unless we can talk to a Decepticon. I mean, I'm not on speaking terms with them," Simmons told them. He let out an awkward chuckle.

Mikaela spoke up. "Actually, I am," she said.

A few minutes later, Mikaela slammed a metal box onto the table. Valerie felt the Transformium inside it. She realized that she hadn't sensed this Decepticon before because she thought that it was part of the signal from the shard that Mikaela had.

The box instantly started rattling. "Let me out!" a voice shouted from inside the box.

"This is going to be a bit sad," Mikaela warned. She opened the box, and a tiny blue Decepticon launched out of it, as if happy to get out of there. Leo let out a strangled screech, Simmons and Sam made sounds of appreciation, and Valerie studied it with interest.

Mini Decepticon started shouting. "I will have so many Decepticons up your butts!" he threatened.

Mikaela tugged on the chain that was around the Decepticon's neck. "Hey, behave!" she ordered. She held out a torch and aimed it at the eye that wasn't already torched. That caused the Decepticon to instantly shut up.

"What is it, a Decepticon?" Sam asked.

Valerie raised an eyebrow at him. " _No_ ," she answered sarcastically. "It's an Autobot threatening to send Decepticons after us. _Totally_."

Sam chose to ignore her, and Simmons spoke up. "I spent my whole adult life combing the planet for aliens..." he muttered as the Decepticon tried to bite on the leash,"... and you're carrying around one in your purse like a little Chihuahua."

The Decepticon glared at Simmons. "Huh?" he snapped angrily, walking over to Simmons. "Do you want a throwdown, you pubic 'fro-head?"

Valerie laughed. "I like this guy," she said.

Mikaela interrupted. "I'm so sorry," she told the Decepticon in a sweet voice. "I'm so sorry about your eye, you know, but if you're a good boy then I'm not going to torch your other eyes. Okay? I'm not gonna torch it. Just tell me what these symbols are. Please?"

The small Decepticon looked at the pictures. "Alright," he muttered. "Uh... Oh, I know that. That's the language of the Primes. I don't read it, but these guys..." He jabbed his finger at the pictures of the vehicles. "How the frick did you find photos of these guys?"

"Is this 'they?'" Sam asked, pointing at the pictures.

He nodded. "Yeah. Seekers, pal," he answered. "Oldest of the old. They've been here thousands of years, looking for something. I don't know what. Nobody tells me nothing, but they'll translate those symbols for you. And I know where to find them."

"Show us," Valerie and Simmons ordered at the same time, causing them to glare at each other. The little bot, however, didn't notice the tension between them. He projected red dots onto a nearby map of the U.S., and Valerie assumed that each dot was where a Seeker was hidden. "Closest one's in Washington," Simmons told them.


	20. Chapter 20

"Smithsonian Air and Space Museum," Simmons told them as they stared at the building from the outside. "Land of dreams in there. All I ever wanted to be was an astronaut."

Valerie wandered away from the group as Simmons started talking about baseball, synchronized watches, sharp minds, and empty bladders. It was the weirdest pre-op prep talk that she had ever had in her life, and she didn't even bother trying to pay attention.

"Let's go," Valerie said inturrupting the pep talk. "It's now or never."

The second they entered the museum, Valerie had located the Seeker (it was a Blackbird that appeared to be the centerpiece of the exhibit). Leo and Simmons, as they had planned, went to take care of the security guards while Valerie, Sam, and Mikaela waited for them.

A few minutes later, Simmons came up to them, wearing a strange jacket that Valerie assumed he had stolen. "Where's the kid?" he demanded.

"Didn't come back," Valerie answered. Simmons let out a curse and headed to the boy's bathroom, where Leo was supposed to be hiding. Soon he came back into sight, dragging a twitching Leo. "What happened?" Valerie called out the second she saw them.

Simmons glared, apparently in a bad mood because of Leo. "Tazed himself," he snapped.

Valerie instantly burst out laughing. "Tazed himself in the nuts?" she repeated through her laughter. "You're kidding me, right?"

His glare deepened. "Give me one reason to kid about this," he snapped. That just caused Valerie to start laughing more.

"Dude," she said to Leo through her laughter, "I am _never_ letting you forget this."

Sam rolled his eyes. "C'mon, guys," he said. "We have to wake up the Seeker." He pulled the Cube shard out and faced the Blackbird.

The little Decepticon, which Mikaela had let out after the security guards were gone, spoke up. "Ooh, there he is," he said. "This guy's a legend, like, like, like the Chairman of the Board! Yo, freshman! Point the shard and watch the magic happen."

Sam did as he said, and the shard instantly flew towards the plane. Mikaela hurried under the plane to check the sign of it. "Shouldn't we have done that before we brought it back to life?" Valerie whispered to Sam.

"Oh shit," Mikaela said from underneath the plane. "it's a Decepticon!"

Simmons instantly took action. "Behind the MiG now!" he ordered. They all took cover behind the plane that he said as the Decepticon started slowly and painfully transforming.

Finally, he seemed to have changed completely out of his alt mode. "What sort of hideous mausoleum is this?" he demanded. "Answer me, pawns and knaves! Show yourselves or suffer mu infinite wrath! You little spinal-cord-based organisms! Behold the eternal glory of... Jetfire! Prepare for remote systems override!"

"I tell you, this guy did not age well," the little Decepticon muttered.

Valerie nodded in agreement. "That's something I can agree with," she replied. "He reminds me of my grandpa- and trust me, that's not a good thing. You should have seen him without his dentures in the morning. It's a really terrifying sight."

A bang from Jetfire's direction caused Valerie to turn her attention back to him. He had apparently tried to fire at the closed doors of the museum but ended up firing backward. Valerie flinched as the missile collided with something in the museum. "Oh, bollocks!" Jetfire shouted. "Damn these worthless parts!"

Valerie stepped out from behind the MiG. "Hi!" she shouted. "Your name's Jetfire, right?" However, it seemed like Jetfire didn't hear her, because he stepped outside the finally destroyed doors.

"Oh, the museum is going to be very angry," Simmons said. "Very angry. We gotta catch that plane."

Valerie turned to him. "That has to be one of the most intelligent things I've ever heard you say ever since I met you," she told him before they all ran out after Jetfire.

"Right. I'm on a mission," Jetfire was saying outside.

Valerie tried again. "Hey, Jetfire!" she called. "Dude! What's up?!"

Jetfire turned to them. "What do you want?" he demanded, obviously not wanting to talk to them.

"We need your help on something," Valerie told him slowly, hands up in the air. "Please?"

The Transformer looked around. "What planet am I on?" he asked, completely ignoring Valerie's last statement.

"Earth," Sam answered as Bee, Skids, and Mudflap pulled up.

Jetfire sneered. "Earth?" he repeated. "Terrible name for a planet. Might as well call it Dirt. Planet dirt. Tell me, is that robot civil war still going on? Who's winning?"

"The Decepticons," Sam answered.

Jetfire spit on the ground. "Well, I changed sides to the Autobots," he told them.

Valerie frowned. "You can change sides?" she asked. That was a bit of information that she had never known.

"It's a choice," Jetfire answered. "It's an intensely personal decision. So much negativity. Who wants to live a life filled with hate?"

The little Decepticon spoke up. "You mean you don't have to work for those miserable freaking Decepticons?" he said. He grinned and turned to Mikaela. "I'm changing sides. I'm changing sides, too, warrior goddess. Who's your little Autobot?"

Mikaela smiled. "Aw, you're cute," she told him.

"Name's Wheelie," he informed her. "Yeah. Yeah. Say my name. Say my name." Wheelie started humping her leg, causing Valerie to start laughing.

Sam, however, didn't see the humor in it. "What are you allowing to happen to your foot just now?" he demanded.

"At least he's faithful, Sam," Mikaela told him with a pointed look.

Valerie stepped in. "Why don't all three of you calm down and... get some space in between each other?" she suggested, looking mostly at Sam.

Sam grimaced. "It's just something to think about," he told them. "I won't argue with... what were you saying?"

"I told you my name was Jetfire!" Jetfire roared. "So stop judging me!"

Valerie held up her hands in surrender. "Hey, hey, nobody's judging you," she told him. "Calm down. We have some important information here."

However, Jetfire ignored her. "I have issues of my own, and it started with my mother! My ancestors have been here for centuries. My father, why, he was the wheel! Do you know what he transformed into? Nothing! But he did so with honor! Dignity!" At that moment, parachutes burst out of him, causing him to fall to the ground. "Bollocks, my boosters are fried."

Valerie sighed as Sam started speaking. "I think we can help each other," Sam said. "You know things I don't know. I know things you don't know. I do."

"I don't think he knows anything," Leo muttered. "Honestly, I don't."

Valerie nodded. "I second," she said.

Sam turned to Valerie. "Knife, please?" he asked. Valerie pulled out her Transformium and changed it into a knife, tossing it to Sam. Sam caught it and began to carve.

"What did you just do?" Jetfire asked Valerie. "What was that?"

Valerie looked up at him. "I'm a Hudson," she told him. "I can sense Transformium, and I bonded with this one."

Jetfire studied her for a second, seemingly lost in thought. "The Hudsons..." he muttered.

But then Sam started talking. "These symbols are in my mind," Sam said, gesturing to the symbols he had just carved on the ground. "You see, all this is in my mind and Megatron wants what's in my mind. Him and someone called the Fallen."

"The Fallen?" Jetfire repeated. "I know him. He left me here to rust. The original Decepticon. He's terrible to work for. It's always apocalypse, chaos, crisis. These transcriptions, they were part of my mission, the Fallen's seach. I remember now. The Dagger's Tip, and the key, and the Hudsons..."

Valerie spoke up. "Slow down," she said. "What are you talking about? What does my family have to do with anything? What the hell are you talking about?"

"No time to explain," Jetfire replied. "Hold on, everybody! Stay still or you'll die!"

Valerie suddenly felt like she was being yanked forward and shoved into a small tube, then sliding down that tube at the speed of a car. The next second, everything expanded, and she was launched into the air. Valerie rolled and instantly started cursing as sand somehow got into her clothes. Sand? She looked around and saw that they were in... a desert?

When had that happened?

"At least we're still on the right planet," Jetfire commented as he stood. Valerie took a quick glance around the immediate area and instantly saw that she was the closest to Jetfire out of their whole entire group. The rest of them were sprawled around the area.

After a few more minutes, all of them were circled around Jetfire, and about three conversations were going on at once.

"I think we're in Vegas!" Leo told them, looking around. "It's Vegas!"

Valerie rolled her eyes. "This isn't Vegas," she replied.

Leo glared. "Who says?" he demanded.

"You guys okay?" Sam asked, but the only one listening was Mikaela.

Mikaela nodded. "Yeah."

"That really, really hurt," Simmons told Jetfire angrily. "You're just lucky that I didn't get hurt. People could have gotten killed, okay? And if I would have gotten hurt, you would have heard from my at-"

Jetfre interrupted angrily. "Oh, shut up," he snapped. "I told you I was opening a space bridge. It's the fastest way to travel to Egypt."

"When did you... when did you tell us?" Sam demanded. "You didn't tell us anything. You didn't tell us anything. Why are we in Egypt?"

Jetfire glared. "Don't you get snippy with me, fleshling!" he said. "You were duly informed."

Leo and Simmons decided to put in their two cents, as well, and soon everyone was shouting on the top of their lungs. Valerie, who was probably the only one sitting peacefully, glared at everyone. "Guys," she said. Nobody heard her. "Guys. Guys. Guys! GUYS!" They finally all turned to her. "Thank you," she snapped. She turned to Jetfire. "Would you mind explaining why we're in Egypt?"

"This planet was visited by our race once before, by our earliest ancestors, a millennium ago," Jetfire told them. "They were on an exploratory mission to harvest Energon, the lifeblood of our race. Without it, we'll all perish, oxidize and rust, like my wretched self!" He started getting more and more worked up. "Do you have any idea what it's like to slowly fall apart and die?!"

Valerie rolled her eyes. "Please calm down," she said. "And here I was, thinking that I'd never ever be the peacemaker of a group."

"Let's not get episodic, okay? Old-timer?" Simmons added. "Beginning. Middle. End. Facts. Details. Condense. Plot. Tell it."

Jetfire took a deep breath. "Somewhere buried in this desert, our ancestors built a great machine. It harvests Energon... by destroying suns."

"Destroy suns?" Sam repeated.

"You mean blow them up?" Leo added.

Valerie rolled her eyes "No duh, dudes," she said. "Use your brains for once. I'm surprised you guys got into college with your brains."

"You see, in the beginning, there were seven Primes, our original leaders. And they set out into the universe, seeking distant suns to harvest. The Primes set out with one rule. Never destroy a planet with life. Until one of them tried to defy this rule. And his name forevermore was... the Fallen."

Jetfire projected a hologram, just like Optimus had done the first night that they had met him. Except this one showed the Decepticon that Valerie assumed was the Fallen. The hologram changed to what Jetfire was speaking of automatically. "He despised the human race and he wanted to kill you all by turning on that machine. The only way to activate it is with a legendary key called the Matrix of Leadership.

"A great battle took place over possession of the Matrix. The Fallen was stronger than his brothers, so they had no choice but to steal... and hide it from him. In the ultimate sacrifice, they gave their lives to seal the Matrix away in a tomb made of their very own bodies, a tomb we cannot find. Somewhere, buried in this desert, that- deadly machine remains. The Fallen knows where it is and if he finds the tomb of the Primes, your world will be no more."

Valerie spoke up. "Where does my family come in?" she asked. "And our powers? A Decepticon said that if the Fallen rose, my family would die. What do you make of that?"

Jetfire leaned closer. "A Hudson, huh?" he said. Valerie nodded. "I was on that mission myself. It was very... well. The Primes, when they came here the first time to harvest your sun, were met with fear because of what they were. You humans ran from them... well, all of them besides one.

"His name was Hud, and he tried to understand the Primes. They were amazed at Hud's behavior and called him a jewel among the humans. They decided to give him a gift; when he needed help, he would be able to call on the Cybertronians for aid and sense where they were. Of course, over the course of generations, the gift weakened and led to the powers that you have now.

"As you can imagine, the Fallen wasn't happy about that. That was another of his reasons from turning against the other Primes, you know. So he swore to wipe out the line of Hud and his sons..." Jetfire glanced over at Valerie. "And his daughters."

Mikaela spoke up. "Okay, so how do we stop him?" she asked.

"Only a Prime can defeat the Fallen," Jetfire answered.

Valerie tensed as Sam looked up hopefully. "Optimus Prime?" he said.

Jetfire considerably brightened, "So you're met a Prime?" he asked. "Why, you must have met a great descendant. Is he alive, here, on this planet?"

"He sacrificed himself to save me," Valerie told him hollowly, once again feeling the pain of Optimus's death.

Jetfire looked down, good mood gone. "So he's dead," he said. "Without a Prime, it's impossible. No one else could stop the Fallen."

Valerie frowned. "Wait," she muttered. "I got it! The Primes told me that I would be reunited with Optimus again, but not in death! We can use the energy of the Matrix to bring Optimus back to life! I did a brief study of Cybertronian tech with Ratchet and Jolt, and it should work!"

Hope seemed to have filled Jetfire again. "Follow your mind, your map, your symbols!" he shouted. "What you carved in the sand, it's your clue! 'When the dawn alights the Dagger's Tip, three kings will reveal the doorway!' Find the doorway! Find the doorway! Go now! Go!"

Simmons nodded. "Okay, we'll all go," he agreed.

"That was my mission! It's your mission now!" Jetfire told them. "Go now!" They hurried into Bee, and they were about to take off until Jetfire called out again. "There was a second part of my mission, too! I was to protect the sons of Hud! That duty also falls to you! Now go, before the Decepticons find me... and find you!"


	21. Chapter 21

"Ancient Sumerians used to call the Gulf of Aqaba the 'Dagger's Tip,'" Valerie told them in the car. "I never thought that Ms. King's Geography class would help me in my life. Anyway, it's part of the Red Sea. It's in the middle of Egypt and Jordan, as sharp as a tip of blade."

Sam nodded. "First thing we've got to do is get Optimus to the Dagger's Tip," he said.

Leo frowned. "How are you gonna get him halfway around the world?" he asked.

"We're gonna make a call," Valerie answered, grinning. "Uncle Will can get him here." Suddenly, there was a siren behind them, and Valerie looked out the window. "Cops, guys."

The Autobots took a sharp turn, which threw the cops off of their tail temporarily. They headed towards a village, where Valerie grabbed Sam and pulled him down behind a wall. Everyone else besides Bee, Skids, and Mudflap followed. A few seconds later, the cops passed by and disappeared. Valerie let out a deep breath that she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

"Man, stupid cops!" Mudflap exclaimed. "Ha!"

Skids grinned. "This is what's called blending in like a ninja," he said.

"Shut up or I'll blend my fist in your face," Mudflap snapped.

Valerie rolled her eyes at the twins as Mikaela spoke. "They're gone," she told them.

Sam nodded. "Okay, we're running out of time," he said. "I gotta make the call to Lennox-"

Simmons interrupted. "You're on the Worldwide Wanted List. Try calling one base, they'll track you here in a second. CIA is all over this place!"

"You're gonna call," Sam stated calmly.

For a second, Simmons looked shocked, but he recovered. "Oh," he muttered. "Okay. That's a good idea."

"All right," Sam agreed.

Simmons kept talking. "I mean, I just had my mind on other things... like ending up in Egyptian prison," he said.

Valerie rolled her eyes again and shoved the phone into Simmons' hands. "Just call," she ordered, dialing the number.

After a few minutes, they had gotten Lennox on the phone. "Lennox, I'm with the kid," Simmons said into the phone. "The kids. You know, the one with the attitude and the one with the hair, right? We need the truck. The truck."

"Tell him the other lovebird," Valerie told him.

Simmons nodded. "The other lovebird," he repeated. "We got a possible resurrection going on over here. You're not gonna believe where we are. Code Tut, as in King Tutankhamen. Back of a one-dollar bill. Coordinates for airdrop, 2.95 north, 34.88 east. Write it down. Write it."

"Did someone ever tell you that you repeat things a lot?" Valerie asked him, causing Simmons to glare at her. She glanced behind Simmons and saw Leo running up, panicked, and instantly got the gist of what was going on. "We got to go now." Valerie yanked the phone from Simmons and slammed it back into the booth, causing it to fall of with a clang.

They all headed to Bee and got off of the road, heading away from the village. Valerie stared out the window as Sam and Simmons tried to figure out what the message that was in Sam's head meant.

"When dawn alights the Dagger's Tip, the Three Kings will reveal the doorway," they said together. "That's what he said. You know what it means?" Simmons asked.

Sam shook his head. "No, what does it mean?" he replied.

Simmons shrugged. "I have no idea," he answered. He turned to Valerie. "Hey, Little Lady! Any ideas here?"

"When dawn alights the Dagger's Tip, the Three Kings will reveal the doorway," Valerie muttered, frowning. "No, I don't. I really don't."

Simmons let out a groan. "Like I said before, we're porked," he complained.

A few minutes later, they reached a checkpoint. "Oh my God," Leo muttered. "Oh my God. Checkpoint. Checkpoint. I don't have my passport."

"None of us do, idiot," Valerie snapped. "We'll have to wing it. Does anyone have a plan?"

Outside, a man shouted something in Egyptian. "Pass-port!" he ordered in a strange accent, causing Valerie to start cracking up. Mikaela nudged her, and Valerie bit her lip but couldn't hide her shaking shoulders and the merriment in her eyes.

"They got cameras at the top," Sam reported, looking out the window concernedly.

Valerie yanked him back into the car. "Don't show your face, then," she hissed as the man started walking towards the car. Soon she realized that the man had been standing on a crate before and was, in reality, about four and a half feet tall. She started cracking up again.

"Oh great, a frickin' munchkin," Wheelie snapped, causing Valerie's laughs to double. "Little people are mean. Tell him he's tall."

The man finally reached the car, and Simmons started talking. "Ashu-fanah," Simmons said. Valerie raised an eyebrow in speculation. "The Dagger's... Tip? Right? Egypt, Jordan. We want to go there. Me and my family. This is my family."

"Not me," Valerie spoke up, not wanting to even entertain the thought of being related to Simmons. "I'm his girlfriend." She leaned closer to Leo and rubbed his leg, smiling at the officer.

Simmons rolled his eyes. "This is my son," he said, throwing his arm around Sam. "This is my other son, and my daughter. We're tourists, from New York."

"New York?" the officer asked. Simmons nodded. "Fifty kilometers."

Simmons grinned. "You look like the guy that runs my falafel stand," he told the officer. "Thank you. Thank you very much."

"New York!" the officer said happily.

Bee started rolling forward, Skids and Mudflap following. "I know. I know you from somewhere," Simmons told the officer.

"Go Yankees!" the officer shouted as they pulled away from the checkpoint.

Valerie rolled her eyes. "If all Egyptians are into Yankees as much as that dude, we should be able to meet the President," she commented. Then she frowned. "Does Egypt have a president?"

"You were the one in the AP classes," Sam reminded her.

She glared. "I don't _remember_ that stuff," she stated.

After a few hours, they reached Giza. Valerie spotted an old building and picked the lock with one of her bobby pins, and she pulled open the doors. "C'mon, guys," she said, entering the building.

"Shh," Skids muttered. "Undercover, yo. You got to blend in with your surroundings. You know, you got to be part of the landscape." Bee bumped into Skids as he walked by. "Ow!"

Simmons, meanwhile, started talking. "Awesome!" he exclaimed. "I think aliens built that. Yeah! Yeah, yeah. Come on." He entered the building behind Valerie.

Soon night had fallen. Sam and Mikaela had grabbed a spot outside on the scaffolding, but Valerie, Simmons, and Leo stayed inside the building. Valerie sat as far away from Simmons and Leo as she could and ended up on the scaffolding on the other side of the building. She looked up at the stars as her feet dangled over the scaffolding.

She started thinking about Optimus. Did she dare to get her hopes up that she might be reunited with him, only to possibly getting them crushed again? She hoped so; she missed Optimus more than she had ever missed anything in her life. Valerie started thinking about how easy it had been for her to open up to him and tell him all of her current problems. It had been so effortless to be with him...

There was a noise behind her, and Valerie turned to see Simmons sit down next to her. For a few seconds, he didn't say anything. But then he broke the silence. "Heard you got into something with the big guy," he told her.

"What about it?" she asked cautiously, looking from the stars to him.

Simmons glanced at her. "You all right?" he said, ignoring her question. "With all this resurrection business and all? The hope?"

Valerie shrugged. "I guess so," she replied. She took a deep breath. "I just want someone to talk to like I used to talk with him. I could tell him everything I wanted and I knew that he would listen. He took care of me, too. He always made sure that I was completely happy." She glanced back at the stars. "And when he was too... overwhelmed with being a Prime, with being strong, I tried to help him. But... for some reason I feel like I failed. I never knew what I was doing half the time when he needed comforting."

He put a gentle hand on her shoulder and squeezed. "I'm sure you did fine, Valerie," he told her. She noted that he called her by her actual name this time. "And if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here. We're all here." Then he stood and headed back to Leo, who was already asleep.

Valerie stayed on the scaffold for a few more minutes, thinking about what Simmons had just said. Was he acting... fatherly towards her? She had never had much of a father figure in her life- her own father had always been too busy being a soldier to really be there, even though he tried. What was up with the sudden change in attitude?

A few minutes later, there was a clatter from back in the room. Valerie turned quickly, hand on her Transformium in case it was a Decepticon. However, a brief glance told her that it was just Sam and Mikaela.

"Simmons! Leo!" Sam shouted. "Wake up! Where's Valerie?"

She stood up and headed inside. "Here," she said. "What's up?"

He turned to Leo. "Listen, astronomy class, page 47," he stated. "Remember the class?"

Leo gave him a cross look that Valerie assumed was partially related to Sam waking him up. "No," he snapped. "No, I was only in college for two days. Remember that?"

Sam sighed. "Here," he said impatiently. "Get up. Up, up."

"What are you talking about?" Leo demanded, but the three of them followed Sam and Mikaela back outside.

Sam instantly started talking. "Okay, you see those three stars?" he asked, pointing to the three stars that seemed to be hovering on top of the Pyramids of Giza. "You see how the last one touches the horizon? That's Orion's Belt."

"Also called the Three Kings," Valerie continued. She grinned. "Sam, you're a genius!"

He continued. "The reason they're called the Three Kings is that the three Egyptian kings who built the pyramids of Giza built them to mirror the stars, so it's like an arrow staring us straight in the face."

"They all point due east, towards Jordan," Simmons commented.

Valerie nodded, mental map of northeastern Africa popping into her head. "The mountains of Petra," she said.

The next day, they were all clustered around a structure carved into the mountains of Petra. They climbed over the huge step to get into the building. "Got to be around here somewhere," Simmons said as they looked around the empty room. "You see the size of this? You see this? Huh?"

"Spec-tacular," Skids commented as he entered.

Simmons took another look around the room. "Amazing," he declared.

"I sense it," Valerie informed them. "But it's... strange. I know we're near it, but the signal is shielded. I don't know exactly where it is. The Primes must have done something to block the Hudsons from finding it.

Sam glanced around. "It's here somewhere, guys," he said.

Leo scoffed. "Yeah, why?" he asked. "'Cause, uh, we're trusting Grandpa Blackbird who doesn't even know what planet he's on."

"In his defense," Simmons muttered, head craned upwards, "this is the biggest doorway I've ever seen in my life."

Once again, Leo scoffed. "Okay, well that's great," he said. "Let me do a quick search, all right?" He twirled around the room mockingly. "Uh... nope. Ever cross your mind, guys, that archaeologists have been here before? There's nothing here."

Valerie glared. "The archaeologists didn't have someone who could sense Transformium with them, Leo!" she snapped. "We haven't come this far just to give up. The riddle has to be right- the Primes even had certainty that this would work. We're close to the Matrix, guys, but we just need to search harder! We're bringing Optimus back to life!"

"Why am I even listening to you?" Leo demanded. "You're in love with a giant alien robot! Oh, wait, let me correct myself! A _deceased_ giant alien robot."

She instantly felt a sudden rush of rage fill her, and she stormed towards Leo, ready to punch him in the face. Sam placed himself between them. "That was a low blow, Leo," he said. "And Valerie, calm down. He's just frustrated."

"Frustrated?" she shouted. "Frustrated? We never should have brought him along in the first place! He doesn't belong with us! All he's ever done is cry and plead to go home to Mama!"

Leo's gaze hardened. "It's over," he said. "It's done."

"Why are we still listening to you, little punk-ass?" Mudflap asked. "I mean, what you ever done for us except ding my rim?"

Skids glared. "Killed Megatron," he answered. "How bout that?"

"Well, he didn't get the job done," Mudflap protested. "You know what I mean, 'cause he's back now, and he's-"

Skids interrupted. "Are you scared?" he demanded.

Mudflap scoffed. "Scared? Scared of your ugly face!" he retorted, causing Skids to charge at him. Sam, Simmons, and Leo let out a shout and hurried to get out of the twins's path.

"Calm down, guys!" Valerie ordered, but they ignored her and kept shouting at each other. "Guys! Do you think that Optimus would want us fighting each other? Save it for the Decepticons!" They ignored her again, and Mudflap threw Skids into one of the walls, causing it to crack. Valerie let out a groan. "Bee, get them out of here!" Bee nodded and tossed them out of the room.

The humans all gathered around the wall, where there seemed to be a piece of Transformium with symbols on it. Valerie instantly knew what it was.

"It's the Tomb of the Primes, guys," she said. "We need to get in there."

Sam nodded. "Bee, shoot it!" he told Bee, and the Autobot charged his cannon and destroyed a nice, small area of the wall. Valerie pulled away the remaining pieces of the wall and climbed in. Instantly they were plunged into darkness, and Valerie turned her Transformium into a flashlight.

The other humans followed after her, and they looked around the room. All of the bodies of the Primes made up the walls, and the hand of one of the Primes was sticking out in the middle of the room. Valerie hurried towards it, the others following her.

Instantly she saw the Matrix. It looked exactly like Jetfire had showed them with the holograph, with the glowing blue gem in the middle of a beautifully carved piece of black Transformium. For a while, they stared at the Matrix, but Sam eventually stuck his hand out and reached for the Matrix.

The instant he touched it, it turned to dust.

"No, no, no, no..." Sam muttered, falling to his knees and placing his hand in the dust. "This isn't how it's supposed to end."

Valerie stared in shock at the dust that used to be the Matrix. That had been the one chance that she had had of bringing Optimus back to her.. and it had turned into dust right in front of their eyes.

What had they done wrong? The Primes had clearly stated that Optimus would come back to life (maybe not clearly stated, but she had been able to infer what it meant), and they had probably intended for them to use the Matrix. But why had it turned to dust? Transformium didn't normally erode like that! Something must have gone wrong, but for the life of her, Valerie couldn't figure out what.

Suddenly she heard the noise of planes coming from outside the ruins. "C-17's," she announced, having grown used to the sound after two years in N.E.S.T.

Simmons instantly ran outside, and Leo followed him. Valerie, Sam, and Mikaela, however, stayed in the Tomb of the Primes.

"You can't bring him back, Sam," Mikaela said gently, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Sam shook his head angrily. "Look! Look around you. We didn't just go through everything we went through for no reason at all and to just have it end like this. There is a reason we are here. The voices and the symbols in my head and Valerie's message from the Primes led us here for a purpose." He pulled off his sock and started shoving the dust in it. "Everyone's after me because of what I know..." he muttered. "... and what I know is that this is going to work."

After hesitating for a few seconds, Valerie dropped to her knees beside him and started helping him shovel the dust in. "We have to believe," she told him. "We have to believe that this is going to work."

"It will, Valerie," Sam said. "It will."

A few minutes later, Valerie, Sam, and Mikaela joined Simmons and Leo outside, staring at the plane. Valerie watched as Optimus's limp body was pushed out of one of the planes.

"Dropping the big boy," Simmons commented. "Sam, you think you can bring him back to life with that pixie dust?"

Sam nodded. "Absolutely," he answered.

Simmons turned to Valerie. "And you, Little Lady?" he asked.

Valerie nodded. "I'll do whatever if there's even a small chance that it'll bring back Optimus," she told him. "Let's go."


	22. Chapter 22

"That's them, right there," Sam said as he, Valerie, Mikaela, Leo, and Simmons watched a flare fly into the sky from inside Bee. "See the flare?"

Valerie rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry, I must have missed that _bright shining thing that was launched into the air_ ," she replied sarcastically. Suddenly, she felt Starscream coming straight at them. She hadn't been paying as much attention to her powers lately, and now she was paying the price; she normally would have been able to sense him when he first came into Egypt, but since she hadn't been paying attention she thought that he had been farther off. "Starscream's coming," she warned, but it was already too late.

The second the last word left her mouth, Starscream came after them. "Whoa!" Sam exclaimed as Bee swerved, trying to get rid of Starscream.

"Oh God," Leo muttered. "Please God! Please."

Mikaela glared at him. "Leo, stop freaking out," she said. "Stop freaking out."

Leo, however, ignored her. "Please God please-"

Simmons started talking over him. "Shut this guy up, huh?" he snapped.

"Please, just let me live, just let me live!" Leo prayed.

Valerie let out a groan and put her hands on her ears. "Shut up, dude!" she shouted. "It's getting annoying! Sit still and be quiet! Bee needs to drive."

"Just stop screaming-" Sam started.

Simmons, apparently, had had enough. "That's it!" he declared, reaching into the backseat with the Taser and zapping Leo in the neck. "Can't take that guy any more!"

Valerie started cracking up, but Starscream chose that moment to attack again. "Hide in the dust!" Simmons ordered. "Hide in the dust!" The three cars swerved into the dust, preventing Starscream from seeing them. Starscream, prey lost, headed towards the Pyramids of Giza.

"We got to split up," Sam told them. "Bumblebee, you're the decoy. You lead the Decepticons away, alright? And I'm gonna get Optimus."

After they had all climbed out of the car, Bee sped off. "I'll help draw their fire with Huey and Dewey here," Simmons offered, gesturing to Skids and Mudflap. "You get to those soldiers. I hope that dust works, kid."

"Thank you," Sam replied.

The former government agent towards Valerie. "Get back to your boyfriend alive, alright?" he said. "That's an order." Valerie nodded, and giave Simmons a quick hug, which he returned. Simmons then headed towards Skids and Mudflap, and after a second of hesitation, Leo followed him. The four of them instantly started driving away... in a bad direction.

"Wait!" Valerie shouted. "There're a lot of Decepticons over there!" However, they were already inside the cars and too far away to hear her. Valerie turned to Sam and Mikaela. "They're going to die if they go over there."

Sam placed a hand on her shoulder. "We can't do anything about it," he told her. "They already left, and we need to get to Optimus. Now." He tore off in the direction of the flare, and Valerie and Mikaela followed him.

After a lot of hard running, Valerie, Sam, and Mikaela were close to the village that the soldiers had used as base. Valerie felt a Decepticon coming close enough to see them and yanked Sam and Mikaela into a nearby hut.

"I don't think they saw us," Sam panted. "Get down. Get down. Okay, listen. Once it's clear, we run for Optimus as fast as we can, okay?"

Mikaela frowned. "But what if it doesn't work?" she asked.

Sam shook his head. "It's gonna work."

"Yeah, but what if it doesn't?" Mikaela repeated.

He shook his head again. "It's gonna work," he told her. "It will work."

"It has to," Valerie added. She looked at the ceiling of the hut. "Optimus is our only chance of defeating the Fallen and saving the human race. If he doesn't come back, we're probably all going to end up freezing to death because we don't have a sun."

Suddenly, a crash sounded from outside. Valerie tensed and placed her hands over the others' mouths, telling them to keep quiet. Once she was sure that they weren't going to speak, she moved her hands off. Starscream was out there, as well as the Decepticon who had helped the skinny one steal the shard and a few others. The Decepticons started growling some stuff in Cybertronian that Valerie was only able to catch a bit of (mostly because she was still learning the language).

"Humans inside the... send in... scout out the...," she heard. Valerie glanced up at the ceiling again as a Decepticon walked by the house, causing dust to fall in. She glanced at Mikaela, who had placed her hand over her own mouth to stop herself from screaming.

Valerie felt a small Decepticon, so small that she was barely able to sense it, was placed in a hole that led straight into the hut. She didn't move, hoping that it wouldn't come all the way into the hut and see the three of them hidden. Sam, however, didn't even wait for a chance to destroy it. He picked it out of the hole and watched as it struggled in his fingers. Before Valerie could say anything, Sam peeled the head off.

Instantly, the roof was ripped off by Starscream. "I see you!" he shouted.

"No you don't!" Valerie replied as she expanded her Transformium so that it was a large, unbreachable shield that protected the three huans from Starscream's cannons. "Go, you two! I'll catch up later!" Sam and Mikaela bolted off towards the town, leaving Valerie to deal with Starscream alone. "Now it's just me and you, you wimpy pice of scrap metal," she told him as she shrunk the shield so that she could see him.

Starscream's eyes narrowed. "This shouldn't take much time, fleshling," he growled.

Valerie scoffed. "I fought Megatron, you idiot," she snapped. "I think that you should be easy after that."

Starscream shot a missile at where she had just been standing, but she had already moved away and used a piece of cement as cover. She turned her Transformium into a missile launcher and fired at Starscream. It hit him in the arm, sending him flying backwards.

"You'll pay for that, fleshling!" Starscream told her, clambering to his feet and glancing around the area for her. However, Valerie had already bolted off and was heading after Sam and Mikaela, being careful to always have something solid between her and Starscream so that he didn't see her.

However, the Decepticon caught sight of Valerie's bright hair and fired at the piece of cement that she was hiding behind. Valerie cursed as chunks went flying, a smaller one hitting her on the head. She started running, firing missiles at Starscream. However, her movement was messing up her aim, and none of them hit him.

A few yards away from her, she saw Sam, Mikaela, Mr. Witwicky, and Mrs. Witwicky standing with Bee. How did Sam's parents get here? Valerie didn't have any time to wonder; she needed to get Starscream away from Sam. She took a sharp right, and Starscream, so intent on the chase, didn't even notice Sam and Mikaela as he hurried after her. Valerie took a sudden left and slid into a skinny ally. Starscream skidded to a stop, peering into the ally. She instantly shot a missile into his face, probably not killing him but disabling him for a little bit.

Sure enough, Starscream fell, and Valerie jumped over him, running back towards Sam and his family. "Valerie!" Mrs. Witwicky exclaimed, seeing her running up. "Why are you all sweaty?"

"Heat," Valerie panted. "Long run. Fight."

Sam, meanwhile, was arguing with his dad. "Dad, stop, okay?" Sam snapped. "Get in the car. He's gonna get you to safety. You know, you run. You don't stop, don't hide, you run. You hear what I'm saying? Okay? I'll find you when you're safe."

"No!" Mr. Witwicky protested.

Mrs. Witwicky stepped in. "Ron. Ron, Ron," she said. "Let him go."

For a few seconds, Mr. Witwicky seemed conflicted. Then he headed towards Bee, who had changed into his alt mode. "You come back!" Mr. Witwicky shouted, pointing at Sam. Then he caught sight of Valerie. "You, too! Your father left you at our house while he and your uncle were in Qatar, told me to take care of you! It was the last thing he ever said to me, and I'm not going to go against that!" He entered the car, Mrs. Witwicky behind him, and Bee sped off.

The three of them instantly started running towards Lennox and the rest of the soldiers. Valerie glanced at the pyramid and saw that the Decepticons that she had tried to warn Simmons and Leo about were actually one giant Decepticon. It was destroying one of the pyramids, brick by brick, and Valerie realized what was hidden in the pyramid.

It was the machine.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry!" Valerie shouted. "They found the machine and they know you have the Matrix! Hurry!" They sped up, but Valerie knew that they wouldn't be able to hold the speed for long.

Soon they crossed the invisible line that separated the Autobots and Decepticons. Valerie breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Arcee. "Spotted Sam!" Arcee announced.

"Hey- Sam!" Ironhide shouted.

Sam relaxed, too. "Ironhide!" he replied.

Arcee came over to them. "Follow us to the pillars. We'll take you to Optimus," she told them. She turned to Valerie. "It's good to see you."

"You too," Valerie replied. "Glad you're alive." Suddenly she saw a missile coming at Arcee. "Watch out!" she warned, but it was too late; it had already struck Arcee.

Valerie stared in disbelief as her friend fell in front of her. She couldn't believe that Arcee was dead; they had been friends for two years now. She remembered when Arcee had first come to Earth and she had questioned Valerie's right to be working with the Autobots. From there their relationship had grown, and Valerie considered Arcee one of her best friends. Arcee couldn't be... dead.

"Get out, Sam!" Ironhide shouted. "Get to the pillars!"

She recovered from her shock and pulled Sam and Mikaela to the pillars. When they reached them, a Decepticon popped out of nowhere. "Curse you-" he started, but Valerie had already fired a missile launcher at him. The Decepticon slumped to the ground, dead.

They kept running, but a few seconds later, Valerie's attention was pulled back behind her when she felt Megatron behind them. Sure enough, the Decepticon leader was running after them.

"Can you Decepticons let us relax for two seconds?" Valerie demanded as she fired another missile behind her. It hit Megatron in the arm, causing him to stumble backwards. Valerie used his lack of attention to her advantage and made a sharp right, Sam and Mikaela following her.

She instantly saw Sides. "Spotted Sam!" Sides announced as he caught sight of them. Valerie and the others skidded to a stop and ducked behind the same piece of cement that Sides was using as cover. "Good to see you alive, Val."

"You too," Valerie told him. "What's our status?"

Sides fired at another Decepticon before answering. "A lot of people are dying," he reported. "It's pretty bad out there. As far as I know, a ton of humans died, but Arcee's the only Autobot casualty. We can't hold this for long." He glanced behind him. "Lennox and Epps are looking for you. They're over there, by that broken house at four o'clock. Optimus is a few yards behind them." He glanced down at her. "You guys better know what you're doing."

Valerie nodded. "We do," she said. "We need a clear path to Lennox and Epps so that they can take us to Optimus. Can you do that?" Sides nodded, and Valerie glanced to Sam and Mikaela. "Get ready to run."

"Go!" Sides shouted, and Valerie grabbed their wrists, pulling them towards the hut that Sides had told her about. A few seconds later, they slid behind the hut, where Lennox and Epps were crouching.

Lennox sighed in relief when he saw them. "Oh, look who showed up," he said sarcastically. "You better have a good reason for us to be here."

"You bet we do," Valerie told him.

Sam spoke over her. "Where's Optimus?" he asked.

Lennox pointed behind him. "He's right over there, across the courtyard," he answered.

"I got to get to him now," Sam said.

The soldier shook his head. "Not with an air strike coming," he replied.

Valerie raised an eyebrow. "You have an air strike coming?" she demanded. "Why do you need an air strike?"

"We're getting killed out there," Lennox answered. Before anybody could say anything, a Decepticon appeared, obviously looking for Sam. Valerie pushed Sam against the wall of the hut, hand against his mouth to keep him quiet.

The Decepticon looked around, eyes peeled for any sight of Sam. Valerie was about to jump out and fight it when a sudden crash sounded. "Incoming!" a familiar old voice shouted. "Stick the landing! Behold the glory of... Jetfire!" Valerie glanced up to see Jetfire attacking the Decepticon. "Now let me show you how we brought the pain in my day!"

"Woo-hoo!" Valerie cheered happily, grinning from ear to ear. "Jetfire to the rescue!"

Jetfire had just killed the Decepticon when another smaller one jumped out from under the ground. It instantly attacked Jetfire, wounding him in the gut. Jetfire picked him up and ripped off his head. "I'm to old for this crap," he muttered. Valerie's attention was drawn back to the giant Decepticon on the pyramid when it slammed the pyramid hard, sending bricks falling down.

"We're gonna make a break through the B's on my command, okay? You guys stick with me, you understand? You stay on my ass," Lennox told them, mostly talking to Sam and Mikaela; Valerie already knew what to do since she had trained with N.E.S.T.

Epps popped a can of orange smoke and tossed it. He stared at the smoke for a few seconds, then turned to Valerie and Lennox. "I hope those F- 16's got good aim," he said.

"Yeah? Why is that?" Lennox asked.

Valerie groaned. "You told them to hit the orange smoke, didn't you?" she demanded.

Epps nodded. "You mean that orange smoke?" Lennox asked, pointing to the orange smoke that Epps had just popped.

"It wasn't my best toss, okay?" Epps snapped.

Valerie nodded. "I second," she said. Then the three of them shouted together, "RUN!"

They took off, running as fast as they could away from the orange smoke. Valerie felt a Decepticon coming too close for comfort to them and turned around, seeing Megatron chasing them. "Didn't I get rid of you already?!" she demanded angrily.

"Boy," Megatron growled. "Die!" He let loose a rocket, aiming at Sam and blasting him into the air.

Valerie instantly fired back, causing Megatron to turn away from them and head back towards the battle. "Sam!" Mikaela shouted from behind her, throwing herself down next to Sam.

"Hold your fire!" Lennox ordered. "Say back! Mikaela, stay back!" Valerie watched, numb, as he started preforming CPR on Sam's limp form as Epps called an air ambulance. Ron, Judy, and Bee pulled up and rushed towards Sam as well.

Paramedics arrived, surrounding Sam. "We got no pulse," one of them said. "Starting CPR." Valerie walked closer to Sam, and Lennox didn't stop her as she bent down and picked up the sock. The particles instantly lifted and swirled in the air, coming together to form...

The Matrix.

"I'm bringing this to Optimus," she told Lennox. "I need to get this to him right now. Do your best with Sam, okay?" Lennox hesitated but nodded as she turned around and ran the rest of the way towards Optimus.

The Decepticons, seeing what Valerie was holding, broke away from whatever battle that they were fighting and turned towards her, trying to stop her from reaching Optimus. She fought them off, feeling hollow inside. Bringing the Matrix to Optimus should have been Sam's job. She should never have had to do it; her job was to follow the leader, whether that was Optimus or Sam or whoever. But this responsibility had been forced upon her; Optimus had to come back to life as soon as he could and fight the Fallen before anybody else died.

Starscream, who had apparently gotten back into action, flew by. Valerie slid behind another broken hut just as the rockets he had dropped blew up, destroying anything close to her. When the dust had cleared, Valerie was off again. In the distance, she heard a soldier shout a warning to her, and she swerved to a side just before a rocket flew by. She ducked behind a barrier as another Decepticon fired at her, and when she started running again, she saw a Decepticon running at her with his ax out. Her Transformium acted up, and the light flowed out of it, creating a shield between her and the ax. The ax shattered, and Valerie pushed the Decepticon backwards, causing him to stumble. Then Ironhide was there, drawing the Decepticon's attention from her. She started running again.

"Valerie!" a voice shouted from behind her, and she turned around to felt a rush of relief when she saw that Sam had woken up and was running towards her as fast as he could.

She stopped, letting him catch up to her. Because Decepticons weren't chasing him, he was able to make it to where she was in about half the time that she did. When he was close enough, Valerie thrust the Matrix into his hands. "Go! Wake him up! I've got your back!" she shouted.

Sam started running again, and Valerie was right behind him, light from her Transformium swinging and attacking any Decepticons that came near her. She glanced quickly behind her and saw that Sam was crawling up on top of Optimus's chest. He lifted the Matrix above his head, and with a yell, he slammed it into Optimus's spark.

The effect was instant. Optimus's optics flew open as he let out a cough. The sheet that was covering his body blew off, and he rose from the ground, propping himself up on his elbow.

He caught sight of Sam first. "Boy," he said. "You returned for me." Then a troubled look came over his face. "Where's Valerie?"

"Over there," Sam told him, pointing to where Valerie was fighting off the Decepticons. However, after seeing that the Matrix wasn't an easy target anymore, they all left, retreating towards the pyramid.

The second that they were all gone, Valerie ran towards Optimus and gave him the best hug that she could, considering the fact that she was about the size of his finger. "I thought that you were gone for good," she muttered.

Before Optimus could reply, Valerie felt a Decepticon suddenly appear close to them. The next second, the Fallen crashed into Optimus, sending him falling back to the ground. He held out his hand, and the Matrix flew from Optimus to his hand. "My Matrix!" he growled.

"Oh no it's not!" Valerie shouted, sending her light flying at the Fallen. However, before it wrapped around his neck like she had been planning, his hand shot out and grabbed the light. Unlike the rest of the Transformers, he didn't drop it or flinch away in pain.

The Fallen let out a growl. "What is this?" he snarled. "A human, able to control Transformium? You must be a Hudson."

Valerie didn't reply. She glanced over her shoulder and saw that the other Autobots were clustered around Optimus, trying to find some way to bring him back to full strength. The Matrix must not have had enough time to fully charge him up. And that meant that he wouldn't be ready to fight the Fallen anytime soon.

She needed to keep the Fallen from going back to the machine with the Matrix, or at least until Optimus was back on his feet. Of course, the Fallen wouldn't stay here willingly; he was probably about to teleport back to the top of the pyramid.

Sure enough, she saw him ready himself to teleport back up. Valerie acted instantly, not wanting to even think about how foolish her plan probably was. She jumped and grabbed onto the Fallen as he teleported, and the next thing she knew, she was on top of the pyramid.

"You just signed your death warrant, Hudson," a familiar voice told her.

Valerie turned to see the Fallen, Megatron, and Starscream staring at her with hate clearly etched in their faces.

Then she fully accepted how idiotic she had been to teleport with the Fallen to the top of the pyramid. She was surrounded by three Decepticons, with no backup, no extraction plan, and nobody probably even knew that she was up there.

She was going to die.


	23. Chapter 23

"What did you think you could accomplish by coming up here, Hudson?" the Fallen asked. "Surely by now you know that I have a... personal grudge against any of your family. It would be wise for you to stay away from me."

Valerie's chin jutted up in defiance. "You're planning on destroying my planet," she told him angrily. "I'm dead anyway, Einstein."

A confused expression came over the Fallen's face. "Who is _Einstein_?" he wondered. Valerie assumed that he hadn't bothered to research Earth's history like the Autobots had and would have cracked up if she hadn't been in such a dire situation.

Megatron opened his mouth to answer, and Valerie used their lack of attention to her advantage. She used her light and knocked Megatron and Starscream off of the pyramid. They fell, screaming, and Valerie turned to face the Fallen, who the light didn't hurt. She wouldn't be able to use her light and would have to rely on brute force for this fight.

The Fallen lifted his staff and was about to stab her when Valerie remembered some of her tae kwon do training. She turned her Transformium into a bamboo stick and struck out, successfully knocking the Fallen's staff away from him, despite his size. The Fallen let out a low growl as his staff flew away from the pyramid. However, Megatron and Starscream had recovered their wits and turned into jets. Megatron flew under the staff and caught it, bringing it back to the Fallen.

Valerie shouted a curse and ran to the other side of the machine, keeping it between her and the Fallen; she knew that the Fallen wouldn't dare to attack her he could destroy the machine by accident. Sure enough, the three Decepticons froze.

"Come and face us, Hudson," the Fallen told her. "It's considered cowardly to hide."

She cocked her head. "I wasn't under the impression I was hiding," she replied in a confused tone. "You know where I am. I think that this is considered _taking cover_."

Megatron let out an angry growl. "Stop playing your petty games, girl," he snapped. "Come out and fight us, not _take cover_ like a coward."

Valerie scoffed. "So you're calling me a coward while you're standing next to that guy?!" she demanded, gesturing to Starscream. "Did he tell you that I knocked him out before when we were fighting?"

Suddenly, there was the sound of choppers flying towards them. The Fallen turned around to face them and raised his arms, causing anything metal to move towards him. Then he dropped his arms once they were all on top of the pyramid, effectively destroying the pyramid and the attackers.

Valerie used his turned back to her advantage and turned her staff into a shuriken. She stepped out from behind the machine to get a clear path at the Fallen After taking careful aim, she threw it as hard as she could at him, letting out a shout as she did. It made contact with his back, causing him to turn around, red eyes brighter than before. Apparently the shuriken had just pissed him off instead of injuring him. And now her Transformium was stuck in his back.

He let out an angry shout and lifted his staff, aiming for her. Valerie rolled out of the way and ducked behind the machine again. However, she felt a metal hand wrap itself around her, and she let out a scream as she felt herself being picked up from the ground.

The Fallen let out a self-satisfied cackle as he brought her closer to him so that he could see her better. Valerie started struggling to get out of his grasp, but that just caused him to squeeze harder, probably leaving a bruise. Megatron and Starscream watched their leader in silence, even though Valerie was certain that they were enjoying every moment of it.

"This will teach you Hudsons for ever standing up to me," the Fallen growled. "I will finally put you in your place."

Valerie's heart started pounding in fear. She couldn't die! Not yet! Optimus had just been brought back to life, and she had only spoken eight words to him! And she was only nineteen! There was so much that she hadn't been able to experience yet! She couldn't die!

"Leave her alone!" a familiar voice shouted, and everyone on the pyramid turned to see Optimus flying up towards them, Jetfire's wings on his back. "Your fight is with me!"

The Fallen let out a growl. "My fight is with the Hudsons as well," he snarled. "But it is one that will soon be resolved." He flung Valerie away from him roughly, sending her flying into the machine. Her head snapped back, colliding with the machine, and the last thing she saw before she blacked out was Optimus tackling the Fallen.

"Get up!" Sam shouted. "Get up, get up, get up!" The Fallen had just taken the Matrix and teleported back to the top of the pyramid, and Optimus didn't have the strength to stand. "He's going to turn on the machine! You got to stop him! Get up! Optimus!"

The Prime tried to sit up, but it seemed like the effort was too much for him. He collapsed back to the ground, sending dust flying. "Get up, Prime!" Ironhide said. "Do it for Valerie!"

Sam's eyes instantly scanned the area when he realized that Valerie hadn't said anything since the Fallen had left. "Where's Valerie?" he asked. Nobody answered. "Guys, where's Valerie?" He felt panic building up. Valerie was his best friend, and she was missing in a battlefield, where anything could have happened...

As if on cue, there was a shouted curse from the top of the pyramid. Everyone's heads snapped up just in time to see a flash of multicolored hair duck behind the machine. "Is that... Valerie?" Lennox asked, disbelief clear in his voice.

"She must have grabbed onto the Fallen when he opened the space bridge back to the top of the pyramid!" Sam exclaimed. "We need to get someone up to her, now! There's no way she can hold her own against the Fallen, Megatron, and Starscream all at once!"

Epps instantly grabbed his radio. "Enemy target, top of pyramid!" he shouted. "Engage, but don't hurt the human girl! Engage, engage!"

Choppers took off and started flying towards the pyramid as tanks rolled in that direction. Sam's attention was drawn back to Optimus when he heard Jetfire start to speak.

"All my Decepticon life, I never did a thing worth doing until now. Optimus, take my parts and you will have a power you've never known. Fulfill your destiny... and protect the girl..." He yanked out his Spark, causing him to fall to the floor, dead.

Ratchet instantly took action. "Jolt!" he ordered. "Electrify! Transplant those afterburners, and do it quick- we need to get him up to Valerie."

Jolt used his electric cables to connect Optimus to Jetfire's parts, causing the parts to fly towards Optimus. Jetfire's boosters and flight connected towards Optimus's back, and the Prime seemed to be filled with new energy.

Optimus sat up and glanced towards the pyramid. At that moment, they heard a scream from the top of the pyramid and turned to see Valerie in the Fallen's grasp. "Let's roll," Optimus said, and without another word, he flew from the ground and up towards the pyramids as fast as he could. "Leave her alone!" he shouted when he was sure that the Fallen could hear him. "Your fight is with me!"

He heard the Fallen let out a growl. "My fight is with the Hudsons as well," the Fallen snarled, barely loud enough for Optimus to hear. "But it is one that will soon be resolved." He flung Valerie away from him and towards the machine, and Optimus sped up, slamming into the Fallen and sending them both flying off of the pyramid. As he passed by the machine, he fired at it, careful not to hit Valerie by accident.

Optimus and the Fallen slammed into an area that was filled with pillars. "Die, like your brothers and the Hudson!" the Fallen said.

That caused Optimus to, in human terms, start seeing red. Anger rushed through him. "They were your brothers, too!" he replied angrily as he started shooting at him. "And don't even think yourself worthy to say her name! She is worth thousands of you!"

" _Was_ worth, Prime!" the Fallen corrected gleefully as Megatron appeared, lunging at Optimus. "I killed her!"

Optimus fired at Megatron, effectively destroying half of his face. Megatron roared in anger and pain and tried to attack Optimus again. However, Optimus cut his arm off and used his boosters to send Megatron flying backwards, breaking a hole in a temple. "Even if you killed her, her memory lives on in the ones that love her!" Optimus replied as he slashed at the Fallen with his sword.

The Fallen yanked off one of Optimus's boosters and hit him with it. "So you love her!" the Fallen said. "It is like you to fall for a weak fleshling!"

"There was nothing weak about her!" Optimus growled. He hardly felt his wounds because of his anger. The Fallen raised his staff, but Optimus grabbed it before he could. "You picked the wrong planet!" Using the staff, he stabbed the Fallen in the back. "Give me your face!" Optimus yanked the Fallen's face off, revealing an ugly, insect-like face beneath it. Optimus thought briefly about how many things Valerie would say about it, and his resolve hardened as he remembered that there was a chance that Valerie might never be able to say those things.

Optimus yanked the Fallen's Spark out, causing the Fallen to slide down a pillar. He then stabbed him through the neck. "I rise," Optimus told him. "You fall."

The second he was sure that the Fallen was dead, Optimus flew back up towards the pyramid. His Spark was pounding; he didn't know whether or not Valerie had died and had no time to check before he started his battle with the Fallen. He was moving so fast that, even though he attempted to slow himself, he almost rocketed right by the pyramid. He had to grab the side of the pyramid to stop himself.

Valerie's limp body was still laying by the machine. Optimus activated his holoform and ran up to her, taking her in his arms. Remembering what Lennox and Epps had taught him about human first aid, Optimus placed two fingers to Valerie's neck, hoping anxiously to feel a heartbeat.

There.

He felt it.

It was faint, but it was definitely there.

She was alive.

Optimus breathed a sigh of relief, and he pulled Valerie into a hug. "Thank Primus," he muttered. "Thank Primus she's alive." For a few seconds, he just lay there, Valerie in his arms. Then he felt something warm and sticky flowing from the back of her head, and he adjusted her in her arms so that he could see the back of her head. She was bleeding.

He laid her down immediately and went back into his Autobot body. Then he gently picked her up and flew down to everyone else. Instantly, he was surrounded by the other Autobots, being congratulated, but he ignored them and went straight to Lennox and Epps. "She's injured," he told them, getting down on his knees and laying Valerie gently on the ground. "Bring your medics here."

Epps instantly started speaking on the radio, and in a few minutes, Valerie was on a stretcher that the humans were putting in the back of a van. Optimus instantly activated his holoform and was about to enter the back of the van, as well, but a medic stepped in front of him. "I'm sorry, sir, but I can't let you come with us," the medic said. "Family only."

Optimus's eyes narrowed. "I'm her boyfriend," he told the medic.

"I'm sorry, but I can't let you come," he repeated. Optimus was about to push his way through when suddenly Lennox was there, placing a restraining arm in front of Optimus.

Lennox turned to the medic. "Let him in," he ordered. "And I'm coming, too; I'm her guardian. And the other soldier over there is her guardian, as well. He's hitching a ride, too." The medic nodded, even though he still looked unwilling. Optimus nodded his thanks to Lennox as both of them climbed into the van. Epps joined them a few seconds later. They didn't speak as the van started moving, driving away from the pyramids.

After a few minutes, Optimus spoke. "Will she be okay?" he asked.

"Hope so," Epps answered. Then his face split into a grin. "'Cuz we're gonna get our asses whupped in the afterlife by Jack if she dies."

Lennox nodded in agreement. "Totally," he said. He shook his head, a small smile on his face. "In all my life, I've never seen a dad more dedicated to their kid than Jack was. And it was rough on him, too, since he was a soldier and a single parent."

Optimus instantly remembered what Valerie had told him about the day her mother died. She had said it had been in a shooting... Valerie had mentioned something about looking it up on the internet. Maybe it was time for Optimus to do that. but not on the World Wide Web.

After taking a deep breath, Optimus closed his eyes, tuning out the talk of the two soldiers, and accessed the information that had passed from the shard of the AllSpark to him.

He instantly knew that the Decepticons were behind the shooting. They had been after the Hudsons. But why... Optimus dug further. The Fallen had been trying to destroy the Hudsons again, but it wasn't just because of his old grudge against them. A new discovery had been made about the powers that the Primes gave the Hudsons, something that had been given completely by accident...

Optimus paled.

The first thing Valerie was aware of was the light.  
She observed her surroundings and saw the familiar three black rocks that she had seen the last time she had talked to the Primes. They must have called her here- wherever here was- again.  
A voice spoke from behind her. "So we meet again," the first Prime said. Valerie turned to see all the Primes there. "You have fought well, Valerie."  
"Thanks... I guess," Valerie replied. "Why did you bring me here?"  
The Primes shared an uneasy look. "We must tell you some important things," the second Prime said "Things about your powers."  
Valerie threw her arms up in exasperation. "Well, finally!" she exclaimed. "You gave me that stupid sentence that I didn't even understand and literally left me in suspense forever about it!"  
"It wasn't time for you to know what, exactly, you could do," one of the Primes said. "During our first meeting, we only aimed to warn you that the Fallen might be after you."  
She let out a scoff. "No offense, but you didn't warn me well," she replied. "I had no clue what you were talking about.  
Another Prime started talking. "Jetfire told you all that he knew about your family's powers and why the Fallen tried to kill you," he told her. "But he didn't know the whole story."  
"We gave Hud the power to send a distress signal to us and have the ability to sense us when we were near," a different Prime continued. "However, we didn't know that with those powers came another power, one so powerful that could bring about the destruction of our race."  
The first Prime spoke again. "You, Valerie Hudson, have the power to control Cybertonians," he told her.  
Valerie stared up at all of them in shock. "The power to control Cybertronians?" she repeated. "Like, take away their will and influence their thoughts?"  
"Yes," he answered. "This power is the reason your Transformium forms a defensive light when you're attacked.  
The Fallen was the first to find out about your powers and he sent a team of Decepticons to Earth to kill all the Hudsons. That was the shooting that you witnessed as a child in which your mother died."  
That statement caused Valerie's mouth to drop open. "Those were Decepticons?"  
The Primes nodded. "Those were Decepticons," he agreed. "They were in human form, though, like Sam's friend Alice.  
"Valerie, this power isn't like your other ones. You won't be able to master it as easily, and you may end up affecting other Cybertronians that you don't mean to but are in the vicinity Also, this power is mightier than anything else seen in the universe, and because of that, there are consequences. We did some research on this. Every time you use your power, it will completely drain you. You'll hardly be able to stand after you use it. Eventually, if you overuse your powers, the strain will be too much for you and you'll snap."  
Valerie interrupted. "What do you mean 'snap?'" she asked.  
"Your mind will deteriorate until it's completely gone and your body is nothing but an empty shell," he explained. Valerie gulped. "But your mind will only deteriorate if you use your powers frequently. Once a month shouldn't hurt. But be warned. Every time you use your powers, to balance the scale once again, a Decepticon will have the power to control an Autobot."  
Valerie looked from Prime to Prime. "Then what's the use of having this power if it comes with so many bad consequences?" she asked. "'Cuz it sounds to me like this power costs more than it's worth."  
"It is," one of the Primes answered.  
She threw her arms up in the air. "Then why not take it away?" she demanded. "Because I won't miss it. At all."  
"We can't," the same Prime told her. "Your powers have become part of your DNA. We don't have the technology to unravel your DNA without killing you in the process."  
The first Prime interrupted. "You will have to live with this burden, Valerie," he said. "But learn to weigh the risks and results of using your powers."  
"We must let you go now," the second Prime interrupted. "Optimus needs you. But keep our words in mind, Valerie Hudson, and remember that wherever you go, our sympathies go with you."  
Then all Valerie could see was black.

Valerie opened her eyes slowly, taking in her surroundings. She was in a mostly white room, and there was an IV connected to her arm, which probably meant that she was in a hospital. Then she winced as she felt the pain in her ribs from when the Fallen had squeezed her and the bump on her head from when he had thrown her against the machine. "Ow," she muttered. She reached towards the tube that connected her to the IV and was about to rip it off when she felt a hand around her wrist.

"I'm not sure exactly what that does, but if the medics deemed it necessary, I'd keep it," a familiar voice said.

Valerie turned to see Optimus in holoform sitting in a chair next to her bed. "Optimus!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around him. He hugged her back instantly. "Omigod, Optimus, I missed you so much."

"So did I," he said, giving her a squeeze. "You were out for six days, Valerie. Six days." He pulled back from the hug but kept his hands on her shoulders, staring into her eyes. "Do you know how stupid that was for you to follow the Fallen up onto the pyramid?! You could have died!"

She rolled her eyes. "I'm awake for two minutes and I'm already in trouble," she muttered. "Look, Optimus, I did what I thought was best at the time. If I could make the choice again right now, I'd do the same. If I didn't follow him up there, he would have turned on the machine and destroyed the sun and we would all be dead now."

"I was up in another minute! If you had just waited, you would be completely fine now," he told her angrily. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Valerie, the whole time I was fighting the Fallen, I thought that you were dead. Those were the worst minutes of my life. You have no idea how relieved I was to find out that you were alive."

Valerie glared at him. "You died, Optimus!" she reminded him. "I went through exactly what you went through when you were fighting the Fallen! Except I thought that you would be gone forever for days! Days! And then I heard that we could possibly resurrect you, and there was that slim possibility that you could come back to life! _Then_ , Sam brings you back to life with the Matrix, only to have you fall back down to the ground because the Fallen came and stole it! I needed to protect this planet, Optimus, as well as get back the Matrix to bring you completely back to life."

"Still, it was a stupid plan. You had no clue what was up there!" Optimus protested.

She rolled her eyes. "And it was a stupid plan to plunge the Cube into your Spark two years ago," she reminded him. "And it was a stupid plan to go rescue Sam with just Bee and I. Really, Optimus, how many of your stupid plans did I go along with?" She sighed. "Optimus, we're both safe now. That's all that matters." Then she frowned. "What happened since I was out?"

"I fought the Fallen," he told her, letting their argument slide. "I killed him, and I injured Megatron pretty well. Then we brought you back here, to Diego Garcia, and you've been unconscious for six days. I haven't left your side since, and Ironhide has been in charge of the Autobots." He let out a chuckle. "I have to admit, even though he's doing well, when he's broadcasting, 'I am Ironhide' doesn't quite have the same ring to it as 'I am Optimus Prime.'" Then he frowned. "Valerie, I got information from the AllSpark, and there was something about your powers-"

Valerie cut him off. "I know," she said. "The Primes talked to me when I was out." She leaned forward and pressed her forehead to his. "I know all about it." She pressed her lips to his, and Optimus instinctually kissed back. But then he leaned away, frowning.

"Look, Valerie, we need to talk about this," he told her. "This is something major-"

She interrupted him again. "Optimus, we can talk about it later," she interrupted. "I just woke up three minutes ago, okay? I don't want to plan for the future yet. I just want to focus on this moment. Right now. And at this moment, I'm thinking that we've been apart for quite a few days..." She leaned forward and kissed him again, and this time Optimus kissed her back.

"Right now, living in this moment doesn't seem that bad," Optimus murmured, breaking away from the kiss for a few seconds.

Valerie smiled. "Tomorrow's another day, Prime," she said. She kissed him again and then pulled back, looking him in the eye. "I love you, Optimus."

"And I love you," he replied, giving her a long, deep kiss that they didn't break for a long time.


	24. Chapter 24

Three days later, Valerie was given permission to leave the hospital. She had bolted out of the room the second she was given clothes that fit her, Optimus following her. The instant she stepped out of the hospital, she was tackled in a hug by Mikaela. Sam took Mikaela's place the second she let go, and after Sam, the Autobots in holoform gave her a giant group hug.

Valerie let out a laugh as she hugged them back. "C'mon, you guys, I haven't been out for that long!" she exclaimed.

"It's been-" Ratchet started.

She interrupted. "Nine days, yeah, I know," she replied. She rolled her eyes. "Anybody up for some fighting? It's been forever since I've done any sparring."

Optimus came up behind her and placed his hand on her shoulder. "I can't let you do that," he told her, regret clear in his voice. "The medics said to take it easy for a few days."

"Seriously?" she demanded, pouting and putting her hands on her hips. "I've already been out of action for nine days! I can't do something I want for once?!"

He shrugged. "I don't understand the way of humans," he said. "All I know is that your medics forbade me from letting you do anything active." He gave her a hesitant smile. "But I realized last night that I've never taken you on a proper... date, as you humans call it."

The Autobots started cracking up, and a few of them let out wolf whistles. Valerie and Optimus both turned red, which caused even more laughter. Mikaela, however, spoke. "Great. Sam and I can double with you guys," she told them. Valerie shot her a grateful look.

A few minutes later, Sam, Valerie, and Mikaela climbed into the Peterbilt semi. "Where are we going?" Sam asked nobody in particular.

Optimus answered through the speakers. "I was hoping that you would have some suggestions," he told them. Sam shrugged, and Valerie and Mikaela looked at each other.

"Bowling," Valerie suggested.

"Shopping," Mikaela offered.

"Carnival."

"Lunch."

Optimus interrupted by turning on his engine and driving off of base. "Lunch sounds good," he commented. "Then we can go shopping after lunch if you girls want."

Sam's eyes widened. "No!" he shouted. "You don't ever want to go shopping with girls! Ever!"

However, Valerie and Mikaela glanced at each other and grinned. "Sure!" they exclaimed happily. Sam let out a groan, and the two girls started laughing as Optimus kept quiet, not sure what was going on. "Italian for lunch!" Valerie said. A few minutes later, they made it to the nearest Italian restaurant. Optimus pulled into a nearby parking spot and activated his holoform after the three of them had left the cab. Valerie instantly took his hand, and the four of them entered the restaurant.

A waitress led them to a table with a booth, and Valerie and Optimus slid into one side while Mikaela and Sam were on the other. Valerie, Sam, and Mikaela instantly picked up the menus in the middle of the table and flicked through it, looking for something good. Optimus, after watching what they were doing, hesitantly picked up the last menu and opened it, looking through it just as uncertainly.

"What's up?" Valerie asked him, noticing that he didn't seem to know what he was doing.

He looked from the menu to her, a slightly panicked look on his face. "I don't know what I'm doing," he answered, gesturing to the menu. Valerie, Sam, and Mikaela instantly burst out laughing. After a few seconds, Optimus joined in, laughing with them.

Valerie eventually took pity on Optimus and glanced at his menu. "Can you even eat human food in holoform?" she wondered. He nodded. "Well, that's good. You can never go wrong with spaghetti."

The food came surprisingly quickly, and Valerie, Sam, and Mikaela instantly dug in. Optimus, hesitant again, picked up his fork and stabbed his spaghetti. He tried to pick up some noodles, but they fell from the fork. Valerie noticed what was happening a few seconds later. "You twirl it," she told him. To show him, she stuck her fork in his bowl and twirled the noodles around it. She then brought it to her mouth and took a big bite. Optimus rolled his eyes as he stuck his fork in the spaghetti and twirled it. This time, when he lifted his fork to his mouth, the spaghetti stayed on.

For dessert, they ordered ice cream. When it came, Optimus again stared at the ice cream with a blank expression on his face. "You eat it with a spoon," Valerie told him, taking a big spoonful of her own ice cream and popping it into his mouth.

Optimus stuck his spoon in his ice cream and hesitantly put it in his mouth. When it touched his mouth, his eyes widened. "This is good!" he exclaimed, and he instantly shoved more spoonfuls of ice cream in his mouth at a rapid pace. However, after a few more spoonfuls, his eyes widened again. "Cold!" he said. "By Primus, that's cold!" Valerie burst out laughing as Optimus fidgeted in his seat uncomfortably. Sam and Mikaela soon joined in, and Optimus rubbed his head.

"Its brainfreeze!" Valerie said through her laughter. "That's what happens if you eat cold stuff too quickly!"

After Optimus had recovered from his brainfreeze, the four of them left the restaurant. As they walked past the desk, Valerie paused and grabbed a mint. The others filed past her and left the building. Valerie was about to follow them when the waitress stopped her. "Is your boyfriend from around here?" the waitress asked. "I noticed him acting like he wasn't sure what to do."

"He's from Africa," she lied, thinking of the most remote place that she could. The waitress gave her a confused look, and Valerie remembered that Optimus's holoform was a pale Caucasian. "He stayed inside a lot." The waitress nodded, not seeming to fully believe her. Valerie left instantly and hurried after Optimus, Sam, and Mikaela.

Valerie joined Sam and Mikaela in Optimus's cab, where they then drove to the mall. Since the restaurant was fairly close to the mall, it was a short trip there. Optimus parked, and the four of them left the cab and started walking towards the mall. Sam lagged behind, obviously unwilling. Valerie and Mikaela hurried ahead, talking excitedly about new styles and clothes that they had seen in magazines. Optimus eventually joined Sam in the back.

"I'm telling you, you're going to regret bringing them shopping," Sam told him. "This means hours and hours of boredom."

Optimus shrugged. "It can't be too bad," he said.

Sam gave him a look that clearly called him crazy. "And that's where you're wrong," he replied.

The second they were inside the mall, Valerie and Mikaela hurried into the aisles and aisles of clothes. Optimus was about to follow them, but Sam grabbed his arm and stopped him. "Trust me, you don't want to do that," he warned him. "You're going to regret it."

About half an hour later, Valerie and Mikaela made an appearance again, arms filled with clothes. "Come with us to the dressing room," Valerie ordered as they walked by.

Sam groaned as he followed them. "Did you think that the last half hour was bad?" Sam asked as he and Optimus trailed behind the girls. "This is going to be even worse. Just smile and say that you like it."

"Like what?" Optimus asked, but Sam just grimaced as if it was to horrible to talk about. They reached the fitting rooms, and Sam and Optimus stayed outside the fitting room as Valerie and Mikaela hurried inside.

A little while later, Valerie came out of the fitting room in a red shirt. "I was hoping Mikaela would come out first so that I could show you what to do," Sam muttered to Optimus. "Just watch what I do."

"I still don't understand what you're trying to say," Optimus told him.

Sam gave him a sympathetic look. "You will," he replied. "Unfortunately."

Valerie eventually made it into earshot of the two guys. "How do I look?" she asked, looking down at the shirt that she was wearing.

Sam nodded. "Great," he said automatically. It didn't even look like he had even taken more than a quick glance at the shirt. Valerie looked to Optimus, and Sam nudged him.

Optimus instantly realized what Sam had been trying to get him to do. "It looks marvelous," Optimus told her. "The red brings out the streaks in your hair."

Valerie grinned. "Thanks!" she exclaimed, giving him a big hug before turning around to hurry back into the fitting room. "I'll be out again soon!"

The instant the doors to the fitting room closed, Sam groaned and hid his face in his hands. "Why did you say that?" he asked. "Why in the world did you say that?"

"Did I say something wrong?" Optimus replied, confused.

Sam scoffed. "Did you say something wrong?!" he demanded. "You don't say anything like that to a girl who's shopping. Ever."

Optimus shrugged. "It looked nice," he said.

"No," Sam stated. "No. You don't want to do anything that would cause a girl to take longer at shopping. You want to say whatever would get them done quicker."

The Prime shrugged again. "I don't see why it matters," he replied.

Sam gave him another look that called him crazy. "It's gonna matter in a while," he told Optimus.

After about an hour, Valerie and Mikaela finished. Sure enough, Optimus was glad to have his back to the mall by the end of the trip, even though he was carrying Valerie's heavy shopping bags.

A Year Later

Valerie left the Oval Office with Sam after having received their medals from the President. "Man, I'm so sick of being polite!" Valerie complained as soon as the door closed behind him.

Sam was going to reply when he suddenly caught sight of a girl standing nearby, taking a selfie in front of the Presidential seal. She had blonde hair and bright blue eyes that were framed by square glasses, and her hair was pulled into a ponytail. Valerie smirked, knowing what Sam was thinking; he had just broken up with Mikaela a few months ago. "Go ahead," she said. "Go talk to her."

He gave her a slightly panicked look, but Valerie pushed him in her direction. Once Sam was moving his feet, she headed towards Optimus, who was in his holoform and was standing in the corner of the room, not associating with anyone and standing awkwardly alone. "You should hang out with some people," Valerie told him.

Optimus shrugged. "I'm fine," he replied.

Valerie was about to reply when there was a sudden crash from behind them. She jumped and turned around, seeing Sam standing guiltily next to a lamp that had fallen on the ground. Valerie rolled her eyes. "He's so clumsy that he's going to kill himself, much less the Decepticons," she muttered. She was about to continue speaking when Sam's parents came up to her.

"Hi, Valerie!" Mrs. Witwicky exclaimed, giving her a hug. Valerie hugged her back. "I haven't seen you for a while!" Mrs. Witwicky pulled back and observed Valerie. "I swear, you've grown quite a few inches!" Valerie shrugged, but before she could reply, Mrs. Witwicky turned her attention to Optimus. "And who's this?"

Optimus answered. "I'm Optimus Prime," he said. "The leader of the Autobots.. and Valerie's boyfriend. Am I right in assuming that you're Sam's parents?" Of course, he already knew that from the time that he had come to Sam's house to look for the glasses however many years ago, but Sam's parents didn't know that.

Mr. Witwicky raised an eyebrow. "Boyfriend?" he repeated incredulously, looking at Optimus in a new light, as if sizing him up. "How long have you been together?"

Valerie answered quickly. "Three years ago," she told him. Without giving a chance for Mr. Witwicky to reply, she glanced at Sam. "Hey, it looks like Sam needs me! I gotta go!" She pulled Optimus towards Sam and the blonde girl. "Thank God," she muttered to Optimus. "Sometimes they act like my parents."

"They care about you," Optimus replied.

After a few seconds, they reached Sam. "Hey!" Valerie exclaimed. She turned to the girl. "I'm Valerie, Sam's friend. And you're...?"

"Carly," she answered, smiling as she held out her hand. Valerie shook it.

Valerie smiled back. "This is Optimus," she told Carly, gesturing to Optimus.

Carly raised an eyebrow, looking from Valerie to Optimus. "Are you guys, like, an item?" she asked. Valerie nodded, smiling. "Aw, you guys look good for each other!"

For the rest of the ceremony, Sam, Valerie, and Optimus stuck by Carly, who had been working with the President for a short time. Valerie and Carly got together pretty well, which was fortunate for Carly, since Valerie had her Transformium on her.

The ceremony ended a few hours later, and Valerie, Optimus, and the rest of the Autobots headed back to base. "God," Valerie complained. "That went on for eternity! My feet are killing me in these heels!" She yanked her shoes off and tossed them on the passenger side of Optimus's cab.

"Then why do you wear them?" Optimus asked.

Valerie glared. "Because all girls wear heels to parties," she answered crossly. Suddenly she noticed that Optimus and the others weren't going towards the airport, where they would be shipped back to Diego Garcia. "Wait, where are we going?"

"Didn't we tell you?" Optimus replied. "We have a new base now. It's in Washington D.C."

She grinned. "Yes!" she exclaimed. "There was nothing to do in Diego Garcia!" For the rest of the trip, Valerie chatted on and on about the new base and how it was in D.C., so she could go to Virgina and go shopping if she had time, unlike the old base, since Diego Garcia was in the middle of nowhere. Optimus zoned out as she talked, keeping one ear open and added an occasional "uh-huh" and "yeah" to make it seem like he was listening. After a few minutes, he noticed that Valerie hadn't spoke for a while and realized that she was asleep.

He warmed up the cab slightly when he noticed that she was shivering and tightened loosened the seatbelt so that he wasn't squeezing her too tight. Then he turned on the radio to a soothing station and felt as she relaxed in his seat.

"Sweet dreams, Valerie," he said quietly. She was under his protection now, and she would be until the end of her days.


	25. Chapter 25

Two Years Later

Valerie glanced up as five comets streaked towards the Earth. Next to her, Optimus grinned and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "Those are new Autobots, aren't they?" Valerie asked. Optimus nodded, and Valerie sighed. "Does nobody tell me anything?"

"I wanted it to be a surprise," Optimus replied, leaning closer and giving her a kiss. "That's why I brought you out here."

She smiled and kissed him back. "I knew that there was another reason for dragging me up here to the roof of the base," she said.

"Well, I would do this just to spend time with you," Optimus told her.

Valerie rolled her eyes. "What, you're not satisfied that I'm basically by your side all day?" she demanded.

Optimus scoffed. "We're both working then," he answered. "I hardly think that that's considered spending time with you." He stood up and held out his hand to her. "Do you want to meet the rest of the team?"

She took his hand, and he pulled her up. "Are they going to act like the other Autobots did?" she asked, remembering how Ratchet and Ironhide had ended up aiming their cannons at the new Autobots because they didn't trust her.

"Well, if they do, you can just control them and have them accept you, can't you?" Optimus replied, pulling her in for another kiss before heading back down to the main part of the base.

Valerie frowned as she followed him. "Optimus, I don't think that my powers are a joking matter," she said.

He rolled his eyes. "I'm joking, Valerie," he told her. "I know that you would never do that."

They made it into the main hangar, where Ratchet, Ironhide, Bee, and Sides were already waiting. Valerie climbed up onto the hood of Optimus's alt mode, and Optimus in holoform followed her.

"Hey, Val, are you up for some sparring?" Sides asked.

Valerie scoffed. "I don't think you want the new Autobots to think that you're weak because I beat you at sparring," she replied.

Sides rolled his eyes. "Please," he said. "You're not going to beat me."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Optimus commented. "She's beaten you, what, the last seven times?"

Before Sides could retort, there was the doors of the hangar opened, and the five new Autobots drove in in alt mode. Valerie saw a red Ferrari, blue Mercedes-Benz, two Chevrolet Impalas, and a Hendrik Motorsports car. They instantly transformed into their Autobot forms, and Valerie turned to see that Optimus's holoform had disappeared. She was about to jump off of his hood, certain that he was going to transform, but he started transforming, resulting with her sitting on his shoulder.

"Dino, Wheeljack, Roadbuster, Leadfoot, Topspin," Optimus said. "Welcome to Earth."

The four Autobots nodded. "Good to be here, Prime," Wheeljack replied. Valerie noted his bushy blue hair that stuck out in all directions. "The journey was long, though."

Lennox entered the hangar, looking up at the five new Autobots. Valerie instantly wondered where Epps was before remembering that he had quit N.E.S.T. and, while still a soldier, wasn't working with them anymore. "Well, who are the newcomers?" Lennox asked.

"This is Dino, our spy," Optimus replied, gesturing to Dino. "Wheeljack, our engineer. Roadbuster, Topspin, and Leadfoot, our wreckers. Autobots, this is William Lennox, leader of the N.E.S.T. soldiers, who work with us here on Earth. And this is Valerie Hudson, a N.E.S.T. soldier."

Topspin frowned. "What's so special about her?" he asked. "She's a femme, and a human, no less. Why are we letting her fight with us?"

Valerie groaned. "This is almost exactly like before," she said. "What is the problem with you Autobots letting me fight with you guys?! Look, I can sense Transformium, and I have ownership of some. I also recently found out that I have the power to manipulate Transformer's brains to make them do as I want. Okay?"

Before Topspin or any of the other new Autobots could speak, Sides spoke up. "And you can't forget that she's dating the Prime," he commented.

Instantly, the new Autobots let out shouts of outrage and disbelief, causing the older Autobots to jump to defend Valerie. Valerie glared at Sides, who smirked. Optimus cleared his throat loudly, causing everyone to quiet down. "Valerie has proved herself worthy to hold such a position," he told the new Autobots coldly. "You will learn that soon enough."

"Are you sure, Prime?" Leadfoot asked. "How long have you known her? Has she proven her loyalty?"

Optimus's eyes narrowed. "If I were you, I wouldn't question my judgment on this, Leadfoot," he said coldly. "Valerie has been fighting side by side with us for near five years now. She helped us find the Cube, defended me from Megatron in Mission City, protected the shard, and fought to bring me back to life. She is one of us."

Leadfoot nodded, still looking apprehensive. "If you say so," he told Optimus. "Would someone mind giving us a tour of the base?"

"I will," Lennox volunteered. "This way." The five Autobots and Lennox left the hangar, and once the door closed, everyone relaxed. Valerie hadn't noticed how worried everyone had been about how this meeting would go until now.

Ironhide turned his cannons back into hands. "That happens every time," he muttered. "If we get more Autobots and they do something like this, I'm going to blast them out of here."

"Easy, Ironhide," Optimus said. "They'll learn to accept her. Sideswipe and the others did."

Valerie sighed. "It's fine," she told them. "Just give them a few weeks and they'll be acting like I'm their best friend."

XXX

The Autobots, N.E.S.T. soldiers, and the Ukranian man named Voshkod pulled up at a decommissioned facility called Chernobyl. Lennox had had a meeting with Voshkod a few days before, in which Voshkod told him of a possible alien discovery there. Valerie and the rest of N.E.S.T. were particularly excited about the op because it was the first time in three years that they had actually had even a hint of a Decepticon's presence. The last three years had been spent solving American conflicts.

Valerie climbed out of Optimus's cab and joined Lennox and Voshkod. "How long do we have on the ground?" she asked.

"You're not going in," Lennox told her. "It's too dangerous. The radiation levels... It's a bad idea."

Valerie's jaw dropped open. "What?!" she demanded indignantly. "I'm not going in! Uncle Will, I'm your best soldier, _and_ I'm the only one who can sense Transformium here. You need me here!"

Lennox shook his head. "You heard me," he said. "Go and stay with Optimus. And when I say stay, I mean stay. Don't leave his sight, you understand?"

"Uncle Will!" Valerie whined, but he shook his head. She let out a huff. "Fine," she snapped, and she stormed back to Optimus. "Uncle Will's not letting me go in with the rest of them."

Optimus activated his holoform and stood next to her, wrapping his arm around her waist. "He's right," he told her. "It's not safe in there. The radiation levels are too high for your kind."

Valerie gestured to the protective suit that she was wearing. "I'm protected!" she protested. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw the rest of the N.E.S.T. soldiers and Voshkod enter the building. It was just her, Optimus, and a handful of other soldiers left. "Look, Voshkod's not wearing any protective gear, and he's going in!"

He didn't reply, and Valerie sighed. She then started pacing back and forth, aggravated; she wasn't used to being left behind during an op. A few minutes later, voices came from her earpiece. "Okay, right here. I think I found it," a N.E.S.T. soldier said.

"Optimus, we got a visual. Looks like the object's clamped in some kind of a metal harness," Lennox reported.

Another soldier spoke. "What's this?" he asked. "Guys! Why does this thing have Soviet space program markings on it?"

Valerie frowned. "Sputnik?" she inquired through the radio. She let out a groan. "I hate being left behind!" She then felt a big chunk of Transformium moving to the position of the soldiers. "Guys, there's something big coming towards your position... and fast."

Suddenly, there was the sound of an explosion, and soldiers let out a shout. "Contact, contact!" a soldier yelled. Then he let out a shout, and there was static from the other side.

Valerie started pacing even faster. "What the hell is going on there?!" she demanded. "Uncle Will, anyone! What's going on!"

Optimus placed a hand on her shoulder. "Let's move," he said. "We can help fight." Valerie nodded and hopped into his cab. Optimus deactivated his holoform and drove as fast as he could to another side of the building.

Suddenly, Valerie saw a strange snake-like thing breaking through there ceiling, and it broke through the wall, right in front of them. Optimus slammed on the brakes and transformed. His trailer transformed, as well, and turned into an arch-like structure that Valerie knew held his sword and shield. Sure enough, Optimus pulled out his sword and shield.

Optimus instantly started fighting the giant snake-like Decepticon with his sword. Valerie jumped to her feet and grabbed her Transformium. After hesitating for a few seconds, she turned her Transformium into a sword that was similar to Optimus's and ran towards the Decepticon. Optimus, meanwhile, was chopping at the Decepticon, trying to find the arm that was holding what Lennox and the other soldiers had found in the building. Valerie dodged Optimus's giant feet and made it to the Decepticon, who didn't notice her. When one of his arms neared the ground, Valerie jumped on and grabbed it, nearly letting out a scream when the arm was jerked violently upwards the second she grabbed it.

Valerie started climbing up the arm, getting closer and closer to the center of the Decepticon. Once she was there, she could use her powers to figure out which of the Decepticon's hands had the object. After a lot of ducking and climbing (the Decepticon, who still hadn't noticed her there, was using that arm to fight Optimus. Optimus, who also hadn't realized she was there, was striking at the arm, and Valerie had to dodge his attacks) she made it to what seemed like the center.

"Stay behind me!" Valerie heard Optimus shout to the N.E.S.T. soldiers, who had just come out of the building through the hole that the Decepticon made. She made it to the point where all the arms met, and she closed her eyes, focusing her powers. It was hard for her to find such a small object of Transformium because she was surrounded by two giant chunks of Transformium, Optimus and the Decepticon.

Valerie let out a shout as the Decepticon moved to the side, and both he and Optimus seemed to finally realize where she was. "Get off... of my head!" the Decepticon growled, talking as he was fighting Optimus.

"Get out of there, Valerie!" Optimus warned. Valerie, however, ignored them both and sent out her powers once again. She felt the smallest piece of Transformium in the arm that was the farthest from her. Of course.

She instantly pulled out her sword and chopped off the arm. It fell off, and the Decepticon let out a shout of pain. The Decepticon started moving wildly, trying to shake Valerie off. He succeeded and sent Valerie flying in the air. Optimus launched himself in that direction, catching Valerie. However, his moment of distraction had caused the Decepticon to get away. He looked around panickedly, trying to find the Decepticon again.

"Taking our flank!" a N.E.S.T. soldier shouted. "It's taking our flank!"

Optimus turned towards that direction and saw the Decepticon by the soldiers. He shot at the Decepticon, causing it to fly backwards and away from the humans. Valerie swung out of his hand and climbed down his body as he walked towards the Decepticon.

Valerie, who had reached the ground, hurried forward again as Optimus drew the Decepticon's attention from her small body... a small body that he could so easily crush...

Concern instantly flooded through him, causing him to get sloppy. The Decepticon lunged forward, sending both of them falling to the ground, the Decepticon on top. However, there was a shout, and the Decepticon flinched away as Valerie struck it with her sword. Optimus clambered up and watched as the Decepticon backed away. The thing began to open up, and Valerie realized that they had been fighting a Decepticon that was in a machine.

The Decepticon that had been inside the machine stepped out, and Valerie instantly recognized him from the reports of the other Autobots. It was Shockwave. Valerie and Optimus readied their weapons, ready to fight him, but Shockwave left, apparently not wanting to fight any more after his advantage- the machine- had been destroyed.

Lennox and the other soldiers walked up to them. For a few seconds, nobody said anything, just watching the place where Shockwave had disappeared. Finally, Lennox broke the silence. "What the hell was that thing?" Lennox asked.

"That," Optimus answered, "is Shockwave."

The soldier frowned. "Why was he after this?" he wondered, crouching down to look at the thing that had been in the building. Valerie and Optimus knelt, too, and laid eyes on it for the first time.

"It's definitely Cybertronian," Valerie reported. "I'm able to feel it, but I don't know what it is." She looked up at Optimus. "What about you?" However, a strange expression had come over Optimus's face. It looked like he had seen a ghost. "Optimus? You okay?"

Optimus pointed a shaky finger at the device. "It's impossible," he said. "This is an engine part... from a long lost Autobot ship."


	26. Chapter 26

"All arriving Autobots, in par, training and debriefing in fifteen minutes," the speakers blared. "Dino, report to bay twenty-three. Sideswipe, bay thirty-seven for weapons assessment."

Optimus, in his alt mode, drove out of the plane and headed towards his bay. Valerie walked in behind him, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sideswipe in his bay and walked over to him. She knew that he, Bee, Dino, and Wheeljack had been on an op in the Middle East somewhere. "He's been in a bad mood ever since we found that engine part," Valerie told Sides. "I hope he's okay."

Sides was about to reply when she saw a lady in a suit stride into the hangar, a flustered lady with about ten purses following her. "Who is that?" Valerie asked, turning to Lennox.

"And when the President wants to know which members of Congress are politically vulnerable in terms of, let's say, undiscovered criminal conduct, I'm the number he dials," the lady said into the phone as she walked. As she spoke, the assistant put a pair of sneakers down on the ground in front of the lady. The lady, without missing a beat, kicked off her heels and slid into the sneakers, still walking. Valerie sent a look to Lennox, clearly concerned about the new lady. Lennox shrugged to Valerie as the lady strode up to the two of them. "CIA is up my ass about this mystery raid in the Middle East," the lady told Lennox. "So it's time to come clean. Was your unit involved?"

Lennox and Valerie hurried after the lady, who walked into base. "Ah..." Lennox replied. "I'm not sure, ma'am." They walked past a few N.E.S.T. soldiers practicing the Decepticon head kill shot on Bee.

"As Director of National Intelligence, I'm a really big fan of intelligent answers," the lady snapped.

A slightly panicked look crossed over Lennox's face. "I can't really tell you definitively," Lennox answered. "These Autobots are like teenage kids. They like to sneak out of the house every once in a while."

The lady sent him a hard, obviously displeased expression. "Colonel Lennox, are you in command or not?" she demanded.

Lennox turned red. "Yes, ma'am, I am," he told her. "I-"

She cut him off. "Stop with the ma'am," she ordered. "Enough with the ma'am. Do I look like a ma'am?"

He sent a slightly panicked look at Valerie, who shrugged, a big grin on her face. Even though the lady was somewhat annoying, Valerie enjoyed seeing her uncle at a loss for word. "No, ma'am," he answered. "Ye- yes, ma'am. Yes."

Valerie scoffed. "Then what do you want us to call you?" Valerie asked. "Sir?" Lennox stared at her in horror for a second, then he burst out laughing, clutching his sides with tears streaming down his face. However, when the lady sent him a murderous glare, he shut up, even though he had a broad grin on his face.

The lady turned around and looked at Valerie with a stern expression. "And you are?" she asked.

"Valerie Hudson," Valerie answered. "N.E.S.T. soldier."

The lady glanced at Valerie's hair with a distasteful expression. "What did you do to your hair?" she demanded.

"I dyed it," Valerie replied, offended.

She turned back around to the front, shaking her head distastefully. The four humans eventually made it to the area where Optimus was parked. He hadn't changed out of alt mode, a sure sign that he was extremely pissed. Valerie walked up to him and placed a hand on his hood. "Who does she think she is to go up and touch these guys?" the lady asked Lennox.

Lennox glanced at Valerie and Optimus, and Valerie raised an eyebrow at him. "Uh..." Lennox stuttered. "They're dating." The lady looked like she was going to say something about that, but Lennox turned to Optimus. "Optimus, you remember Charlotte Mearing? Our Director of National Intelligence?" Optimus didn't reply.

"He's in a bad mood," Dino told them. "He's not talking to anybody today."

Mearing raised an eyebrow. "What is this, the silent treatment?" she demanded.

Ironhide shook his head. "We've seen that and this is not that," he answered.

"Definitely not," Wheeljack agreed.

Ironhide nodded. "This is worse," he added. He slammed his fist on the roof of Optimus's cab. "Prime! Make something of yourself!" Optimus didn't move. "He's pissed."

Valerie sighed. "Guys, that's not going to work," she told them. She turned to Optimus, leaning closer to him and speaking only loud enough for him to hear. "She might have some answers." He still didn't reply, and Valerie leaned away and crossed her arms, glaring at him. "Optimus Prime, stop acting like a toddler throwing a temper tantrum and transform right now, or else I'm not going to be happy with you." He didn't say anything, and Valerie sighed. "Please?" she asked gently.

The last statement caused Optimus to start transform. When Optimus finished his transformation, he leaned down, glaring at Mearing. "You lied to us," he accused. "Everything humans know of our planet we were told had all been shared. So why was this found in human possession?" He jabbed his finger at the engine part.

"You've been here for long enough that you should know that we're organized into countries!" Mearing snapped. "We don't share all our information with each other!"

Valerie jumped in between Optimus and Mearing before Optimus could reply. "You know what, why don't we all calm down here?" she suggested. "We're not going to get anything accomplished by arguing. So both of you, just... calm down."

Optimus sat backwards. "Very well," he said.

Mearing took a deep breath. "We were in the dark on this also," she told Optimus. "It was Director Only clearance at Sector Seven until now." She turned to her aide. "The bag."

The aide raised all the bags panickedly. "Which bags?" she asked.

Mearing sighed. "Hermes. Birkin. Green ostrich!" she exclaimed. The aide gave her the right purse. "My God..." Mearing shook her head in disappointment and turned back to Optimus. "This is a secret that few men knew, and fewer still remain alive. Allow me to introduce to you two of NASA's founding mission directors and astronaut Buzz Aldrin, one of the first two me to step foot on the moon." As she spoke, three men walked towards them.

Aldrin looked up at Optimus. "From a fellow space traveler, it's a true honor," he said.

Optimus nodded. "The honor is mine," he replied. He glanced down at Valerie, who was staring at Aldrin curiously.

"How did it feel to be in zero gravity?" she asked Aldrin, apparently not able to contain her curiosity.

Aldrin laughed. "It was fun," he told her. "You should try it sometime."

Valerie grinned and was about to reply when Mearing interrupted. "Our entire space race of the 1960's, it appears, was in response to an event," she said.

The NASA mission director took over. "Our astronauts investigated a crashed alien ship. No survivors onboard," he continued.

Aldrin nodded. "We were sworn to secrecy by our Commander in Chief."

"A total of thirty five people knew the real plan at NASA," the NASA officer added.

The second officer started speaking. "Soviets managed to land unmanned probes. Somehow they must have picked up that fuel rod."

"We believe that the Russians deduced that the rod was a fissionable fuel assembly, believed the had it mastered and tried to harness it at Chernobyl," Mearing added.

One of the NASA officers spoke again. "We landed six missions in all. We took hundreds of photos and samples. We locked them away forever when the moon program was shut down."

Optimus spoke. "The ship's name was the Ark. I watched it escape Cybertron myself," he told them. "It was carrying an Autobot technology which would have won us the war. And... its captain."

"Who was its captain?" Mearings asked impatiently.

Optimus took a deep breath, and Valerie patted his leg reassuringly. He gave her a brief smile before turning back to Mearing. "The great Sentinel Prime, the technology's inventor," he answered. "He was commander of the Autobots before me. It's imperative that I find it before the Decepticons learn of its location. Our Autobot spacecraft has the ability to get there. And you must pray it's in time."

Nobody spoke for a few seconds. Then Valerie broke the silence. "Well, what are we waiting for?" she demanded. "Let's get that spaceship ready to launch!"

The group immediately broke up, each doing their job to get the spaceship ready to launch. Optimus and Valerie, however, stayed where they were. Optimus activated his holoform and placed his hands on her shoulders. "You know that I can't allow you to come with us," he said. "It's too dangerous in space for humans," he told her. "Your spacesuits are fragile. If they rip, you die." He shook his head. "I can't let you take that risk."

She leaned in and gave him a long kiss. "Just be careful, okay?" she asked when she pulled away. "Don't die out there."

"I won't," Optimus agreed, resting his forehead on hers. "Right now, I have too much to live for." He was clearly talking about her, and he leaned in to give her a kiss

Before their lips met, a shout came from where Ironhide was. Optimus and Valerie turned to see that he had dropped a piece of machinery. Optimus sighed. "I'd better help out before they end up destroying it," he said. He gave Valerie a kiss and headed towards Ironhide, deactivating his holoform.

Valerie sighed and headed to the parking lot on the base. She didn't have anything to do for the rest of the day, so she might as well drive to see Sam and Carly, who had started dating and lived together in Carly's apartment.

She was going to climb into her Mercedes when she heard an engine rev. She turned around and saw that Dino had turned into his alt mode, a red Ferrari. "Need a lift?" he asked, opening the drivers side door. Valerie grinned and slid into the car, placing both hands on the wheel and getting comfy in the seat. "Where to?"

"Oh, dude, if you think you're driving, you're so wrong," Valerie told him. "Give me the wheel." She slammed down hard on the gas pedal and drove off base.

A few minutes later, she made it to the place where Carly worked. Valerie knew that it had something to do with cars. She pulled smoothly into the nearest parking space. "Wait here for me, Dino," she ordered as she climbed out of the car.

"Yeah, like I could ditch you without Prime killing me," Dino muttered.

Valerie started walking towards the building when she heard some dreadful car sounds from behind her. Wincing, she turned around, wondering what Dino had done. However, she was surprised to see a car that looked like Bee (except much... crappier) pull up into the spot behind hers. Sam clambered out of the car. "Hey, Sam!" Valerie said, walking back towards the cars and giving him a hug.

Sam hugged her back. "Valerie!" he exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"Carly's my friend, too, you know," Valerie told him, rolling her eyes. "I have the right to visit her." They started walking towards the building. "So how've you been doing?"

He shrugged. "Just got a job today," he said.

Valerie raised an eyebrow. "Just today?" she asked. "I thought that the last time your parents and I came over, you said that you almost had one. And that was, like, five months ago." Sam turned red and rubbed the back of his neck. She laughed and threw her arm around Sam's shoulders. "Don't worry about it," she told him. "You don't know how many times I did that to my parents. Trust me, we're eye to eye on this one, dude."

He let out a sigh of relief and was about to reply when they entered the building. Sam's jaw fell to the floor, and even Valerie was speechless. They were inside of a completely futuristic building. The walls and floors were even a sterile white that gave even rebellious Valerie the feeling that she shouldn't dirty anything.

"Sam!" a familiar voice called, and Valerie and Sam turned to see Carly walking towards them. "Valerie! I wasn't expecting you!"

Carly turned towards Sam. "You got the job?" she asked. Sam nodded, and Carly grinned, giving him a hug. "See, what did I tell you? It's the bunny!"

Valerie raised an eyebrow. "The bunny?" she repeated. Both Sam and Carly chose not to answer.

"You said you were his assistant curator. You didn't say the guy owned Space Mountain," Sam told Carly, glancing around at the building.

Carly grinned. "I know," she said. "Isn't it beautiful in here?"

Valerie scoffed. "It's like a futuristic scientist's lab," she muttered, but Carly didn't hear her.

"And he's the coolest guy," Carly continued. "Ever."

As if on cue, a man walked into the room. From his attitude and the way that Carly described him, Valerie assumed that he was her boss. "Sam!" the guy exclaimed, striding forward with an outstretched hand. "Dylan Gould."

Sam shook his hand, even though he seemed a little revolted. "Hey," he said. "A pleasure to meet you."

"Pleasure meeting you," Dylan agreed. He turned to Valerie. "And I'm assuming you're Valerie Hudson." Valerie nodded and shook his outstretched hand. "I worked with some relatives of yours, you know." Valerie tensed up, thinking about her powers

Dylan continued talking, oblivious to her discomfort. "She married into the Yeager family," he told her. "Her husband's a great engineer, but he's a little... disorganized. They had a baby girl when they were only in high school, you know. I was close friends with both of them, actually got them together. Unfortunately she died of cancer a few years ago."

"I'm sorry about that," Valerie said automatically, even though she was more focused on the daughter, who could have Hudson powers, too. Valerie made a mental note to herself to track down any Yeagers.

Dylan nodded. "Anyway, Carly's told me a lot about you two," he changed the subject.

Sam gave him a forced smile. "Well, vice versa," he said. "It's a... it's a beautiful building you got. It's like the Starship Enterprise in here."

He let out a laugh. "Thank you very much," Dylan replied. He started walking around the building, Sam, Carly, and Valerie following. Valerie could have sworn that she felt some Transformium there, but she assumed that it was from Dino. "It leaks. Now, before Carly came to help run the collection, it was just a... complete mess. But now, the restorations are back on track. We're going to Pebble Beach this year and we're gonna get a trophy for that stand right there." He pointed to the stand. "You know why? Because this woman right here is my secret weapon."

Carly let out a laugh, and Sam raised his eyebrows. "Mr. Gould, please, you exaggerate," Carly told him. "All I've done is get you organized."

Dylan shook his head. "Oh, you've done much more than that, my Duchess," he contradicted.

Valerie raised an eyebrow at that. "Nicknames," Sam stated. "That's fun."

Dylan nodded. "Carly's the Duchess. You know, when I stole her away from the British Embassy, I said; 'It's easy to manage a country. Try managing a collection of art.' Take a look at this 1939 Delahaye 165 Cabriolet. Designed by a Frenchman. Look at the curves." But as he spoke, Valerie saw his eyes turning towards Carly, trailing down her figure. "Elegant, isn't it? Beautiful... sensual... built to evoke the body of the ideal woman. come on. My dad had a ten dollar desk and a dream, and he built it into an empire." Sam let out a strangled laugh at that. "We're the largest accounting firm in the U.S. I started up the venture side after he, ah, passed. Invest in the future. Try and bet on the winners. See, collecting cars helps me keep my sanity."

He motioned to a picture of him and Carly standing together, smiling at the camera. "You guys look great," Sam told them, jealousy clear in his tone. Valerie nudged him.

"That was a great day, Mr. Gould," Carly laughed, looking at the picture.

Sam tensed up again, and Valerie decided to step in. "Mr. Gould, it was great seeing you here, but Sam and I have to go," she told him. "We were just dropping in to say hi."

"Oh, yes, of course!" Dylan exclaimed. "Duty calls." He turned to Carly. "I'm sure that I can handle the rest of the day by myself, Carly. Go join them."

A few minutes later, the three of them were outside by Sam's piece of crap car and Dino in his alt mode. Dylan waved at them from inside the building, and Carly waved back. That set Sam off. "Ok. Here we go. You see that?" he demanded. "Judgment. Judging a man by his car? And you're gonna wave at him while he's judging me?"

Carly gave him a strange look. "What's with you?" she asked. "He's my boss. The job pays for our food, our rent."

Sam nodded. "No, I totally understand," he told her. "I'm totally fine. I get it. I'm well fed. And guess what? I'm not your boy toy anymore. I got my big boy pants on. You see them?" He motioned to his pants, causing Valerie to start cracking up. Neither of them paid attention to her, and she continued watching the argument with amusement. "In the car. Thank you, Duchess."

Carly let out a chuckle. "Oh ho ho, my God," she said. "Are you threatened by him?"

Sam let out loud fake laugh. "Threatened?" he asked. "What am I threatened by? His money? His power? His good looks? None of the above. Check!"

"God, your temper tantrums are so sexy," Carly commented.

Valerie grimaced. "And that's where I'm out," she said. "See you guys another time." She tapped on Dino's hood, and the drivers side door popped open. Dino instantly took off. "You know, I don't think that they even noticed that I left," Valerie complained.

Dino scoffed. "As much as I hate to say it, you were kinda a third wheel, Val," he told her. "Of course they're not even going to notice that you left." He paused. "That doesn't mean that they don't care about you. They were just working out their own problems."

She sighed and leaned against the window. Dino took the wheel, driving back to base himself. "I miss Optimus, Dino," she whispered, curling up in the seat. "I know it's only been an hour since he left, but I miss him."

Dino squeezed the seatbelt briefly, giving her a comforting hug. "He probably misses you, too," he replied. "Don't worry, he's gonna come back. It's just a trip to space."

They pulled into base and hurried into the room where they were running the space mission. "His levels are faint," Ratchet reported through the radio as Dino and Valerie entered the room. "He locked himself away to guard the pillars."

Valerie entered to see a giant screen that showed the video feed from the Autobots' cameras. The camera labeled "Optimus Prime" lowered to the ground and picked up a deactivated red Autobot body. "Sentinel," Optimus said. "You're coming home, old friend."


	27. Chapter 27

Valerie formed a shield with her Transformium, blocking a blow from Sides. She used the shield to push him backwards, sending him flying off of the mat and into a rack of weapons. Valerie winced as about five cannons went off at the same time. Luckily they didn't have any ammo in them, so they just let out a big, ear-shattering bang.

Sides scrambled to his feet as the other Autobots ran into the room, weapons out and apparently expecting danger. However, when they saw what had happened, they put their weapons away with scowls on their faces, obviously unhappy. "It was him," Valerie told them automatically, pointing a finger at Sides.

He pointed his finger back at her. "She pushed me into it!" he protested.

"Enough," a familiar voice said in a laughing tone. Valerie's gaze snapped towards the giant red and blue Autobot that was currently pushing his way to the front of the group.

She grinned and ran towards him, and he activated his holoform, rushing towards her as well. Valerie threw her arms around him. "I'm so glad that you're back," she muttered, burying her face into his shoulder.

Optimus hugged her back and rested his chin on top of her head. "I'm glad that I'm back, too," he told her. Then he pulled away, placing his hands on her shoulder and looking her up and down. "Are you okay?"

Valerie rolled her eyes. "You've only been gone for a short time," she said. "I don't think that it's likely that I got injured in a day."

Before Optimus could reply, there was a sudden shout from behind them. They turned to see that Wheeljack had jumped in fright and was now eyeing the ground nervously. "I felt something small run across my foot!" he exclaimed. "I don't know where it is now!"

The Autobots instantly drew their weapons, everyone's eyes on the ground. Valerie kept her eyes peeled for the smallest sign of movement and her powers alert just in case there was a small Decepticon in the room. For a few minutes, nobody moved. Then Optimus (still in holoform) let out a shriek and jumped high in the air. Valerie turned towards him and saw a small thing scampering across the floor of the room. It disappeared in a wall, and Valerie, having some suspicions about what it was, confidently walked after it. The other Autobots inched forward warily, making sure that they were always behind Valerie.

Valerie neared the wall, and she laid down on the ground, eyes scanning the wall. The Autobots watched as she apparently found what she was looking for and stuck her arm through a gap in the wall. A few seconds later, her arm emerged, and she was holding something in her hand. The something was small, grey, and furry, and it had a long tail. It was also squirming.

The Autobots let out a shout in synch, jumping backwards. Optimus's was the loudest and shrillest, causing Valerie to start cracking up. "For Primus's sake, what the frag is that?" Optimus demanded, his voice high with fear clear in his tone.

Her grin disappeared, and she fixed him with a serious gaze. "We have a problem," she told him. "It appears that we have an infestation... of mice." And she started cracking up again, showing them the squirming mouse that she had caught. "Who knew that the great Optimus Prime would be afraid of mice?"

"All N.E.S.T. officials clear the floor," the speakers blared. "We have ten minutes until attempted contact."

Valerie gave Optimus a questioning look. "Attempted contact with what?"

Optimus sighed. "We found Sentinel Prime's body and some pillars that he saved," he told her. "I'm planning on attempting to use the Matrix to being Sentinel back to life." He glanced around the room and saw all the N.E.S.T. officials leaving the room. "Valerie, go with them. I'm not exactly sure what mood Sentinel will be in when I wake him up, and I don't want you in danger."

She sighed and pulled him in for a kiss. After a few seconds, she let him go and started following the other humans. "Be careful," she said.

"I will," he replied.

Valerie literally ran into Mearing when she was climbing the stairs to go into the separate room that had windows for walls, allowing people in the room to watch what was going on in the room. "Watch where you're going," Mearing snapped, obviously in a mad mood.

"Yes ma'am," Valerie replied, knowing that it would bug her. Sure enough, Mearing's jaw clenched, but she must have remembered Valerie's comeback from the last time she had corrected her and didn't say anything.

The two of them walked into the room together, and Valerie was surprised to see that Sam and Carly there, too, and standing next to Lennox. "Colonel Lennox?" Mearing asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Director Mearing, this is Sam Witwicky, a civilian-" Lennox started.

Mearing cut him off. "I know his name, Colonel," she told him. "I want to know who gave him clearance."

Before Lennox could come up with an answer, Sam exploded in Mearing's face. "Who gave me clearance?" he demanded. "How about Optimus Prime, when he touched down in suburbia looking for my house?"

"Someone's had a bad day," Valerie stated. "What the hell happened?"

Sam turned to her angrily. "First I was trapped in a bathroom stall with my coworker, who was talking crazy about the dark side of the moon," he snapped. "Then I was chased around my office by a flying psycho-ninja copier who was trying to kill me. After that, some idiots wouldn't let me into base, and I ended up destroying my car to try to get in. And now, some lady who I've never seen before in my life is telling me that I don't have clearance to see something I've seen for the past five years!"

"This is the National Intelligence Director, in case you..." Lennox muttered.

Sam glared. "Hi," he said.

Mearing raised an eyebrow. "Disrespecting a federal officer?" she asked. "Huh! Maybe that'll get you somewhere. Who's she?" Mearing pointed to Carly.

He looked uncomfortable. "She's my girlfriend," he answered.

Her eyebrows raised even further. "What is this, like, a date?" she demanded.

Lennox interrupted. "She knows all about the Autobots, okay?" he said. "She knows Bumblebee. And she comes from a military family. I can vouch for her."

Before Mearing could reply, Sam spoke angrily. "Hey, I have an idea," he announced. "How about we get back to the important topics, like the fact that I almost had my face cut off by a Decepticon? As a taxpayer, I would like to lodge a complaint, as a matter of fact."

Lennox nodded. "One of the software engineers at Sam's office was murdered today," he added. "He was involved at NASA's lunar mapping probe."

"Here's the thing, Colonel Lennox," Mearing said. "We cannot entrust national security to teenagers, unless I missed a policy paper. Are we doing that now? No. Good." She turned to Sam. "I don't care who you are. If you breathe a word of what you see in here, you will do time for treason. Do you understand me?"

Sam glared. "I'll take my orders from the Autobots," he told her coldly. "I know them. I don't know you."

Mearing glared back. "You will," she replied.

Valerie interrupted. "Are you threatening him?" she demanded. "Sam's prove himself trustworthy multiple times- he even saved the world twice!"

Before Mearing could reply or Valerie could continue, the speakers blared something indistinct. While nobody could hear what it said, it brought everyone's attention back to what was happening in the room below them. "Sentinel Prime," Lennox informed them as the red Autobot body that Optimus had brought back to Earth was rolled out onto the floor. "These things run on Energon, and he's out of it. He's in a... sort of a sleep mode."

"Let us begin," Optimus said, opening his chest plates. The Matrix of Leadership flew out of his spark, floating in the air, and Optimus plucked it from the air.

Lennox started his commentary again. "That's the great Matrix of Leadership. He holds the only thing in the universe that can repower a Transformer's spark."

"This is incredible," Carly breathed, watching as Optimus stepped closer to Sentinel's body.

Valerie rolled her eyes. "No, this is boring," she said. "I want to be out on the floor there, not watching behind a piece of glass!"

"You're going to stay here," Mearing told her sternly.

Their attention was drawn back to the room below them when Sentinel let out a shout and started yelling in Cybertronian. Valerie, the only person in the room who could understand Cybertronian, winced at Sentinel's choice of words. Sentinel, apparently bewildered at his sudden reawakening, lunged at Optimus. Optimus let out a grunt as Sentinel knocked him to the ground, pinning him there with his sword.

"Hold your fire!" Lennox ordered, rushing out of the room and into the room beneath them. Valerie bolted after him, ignoring the shouts from Mearing ordering her to come back.

When Valerie reached the room, Optimus was still attempting to calm down Sentinel. "Stop!" Optimus pleaded. "Sentinel! It is I- Optimus Prime!" The name seemed to trigger something in Sentinel's brain, and he began to gradually calm down, even though he still looked alarmed. He backed up, letting Optimus stand."It is all right. You are safe."

The other Autobots walked forward cautiously, sticking behind Optimus. Their expressions reminded Valerie of the one that they had worn when she had pulled the mouse out of its hole. "There is nothing to fear," Ratchet assured Sentinel.

"We are here," Optimus added. "You are home, Sentinel."

That didn't appear to calm down Sentinel at all. "The war... the war!" he exclaimed panickedy.

"Deranged much?" Valerie muttered to Lennox, who sent her a glare to get her to shut up.

Optimus bowed his head in grief. "The war was lost. Cybertron is now but a barren wasteland. We have taken refuge here, on planet Earth. Its human race is our ally, and our two races have grown closer after years of companionship." As he spoke, he glanced towards the room with the windows, apparently thinking about Valerie. However, when he couldn't find her there, his eyes widened with panic as his head snapped around, attempting to locate her. When he found her by Lennox, his concerned look turned to one of exasperation. Before he could reprimand her for leaving the room, Sentinel spoke again, drawing his attention away from her.

"My ship!" Sentinel shouted. "We came under fire." His eyes widened. "The pillars. Where are the pillars?"

Optimus gave him a reassuring look. "You saved five of them, including the control pillar," he told Sentinel.

A devastated expression came over Sentinel's face. "Only five?" he demanded. "We once have hundreds!"

Mearing interrupted, and Valerie noticed for the first time that she had followed her and Lennox down. "Excuse me, gentlemen," she said. "May I ask what is this technology you're looking for?"

Sentinel answered. "It is the ability to reshape the universe," he answered. "Together the pillars from a space bridge. I designed it, and I alone can control it. It defies your laws of physics and transport matter through time and space."

"So a teleportation device," Valerie summed up.

Optimus nodded. "Yes," he agreed. "For resources, for refugees."

Mearing, however, didn't like that answer. "Refugees, or troops of soldiers, weapons, maybe bombs!" she protested. "You can't just bring weapons of mass destruction into our atmosphere! Kind of have to clear customs first. A little formality called paperwork, kind of separates us from the animals."

Sentinel glared at her. "I will overlook your condescending tone if you heed the gravity of mine. The Decepticons must never know that the space bridge is here. For in their hands, it would mean the end of the world."

After an argument between Optimus and Mearing, which Valerie had had to break up, Valerie, Sam, Carly, Brains, and Wheelie had followed Mearing into her office. "We've sent agents to your office," Mearing told Sam. "And for the time being, we're gonna send you home with Autobot protection."

"Uh, who do I... who do I need to speak to to get you guys to understand that I can help, that I can contribute?" Sam asked.

Brains nodded, jumping up on Mearing's desk. "He, we can all help," he agreed. "Want me to tell you what I know? I could tell you all about the solar system, all the fun planets to hang out in."

Valerie scoffed. "Because we can reach those planets before we die," she muttered. "Totally."

Mearing ignored her. "Get off my desk, please," she ordered in a forced patient tone.

Sam interrupted. "What do you envision for me?" he asked. "I go back to work? I make copies? I mean-"

Mearing cut him off before he could finish his sentence. "This is a unit for veteran intelligence officers and Special Forces, not for boys who once owned special cars," she told Sam.

Before Valerie could snap at her, Carly spoke up. "That's a bit harsh, isn't it, ma'am?" she said.

Valerie winced as Mearing glared. "Don't call me ma'am," she ordered. "I'm not a ma'am."

Carly raised an eyebrow. "Well, you're a woman, aren't you?" she challenged.

Sam interrupted before they could start shouting at each other. "So, are those yours?" Sam asked, pointing at the countless medals that were displayed.

"Yeah," Mearing answered. "CIA."

He nodded. "I only ask 'cause I also have a medal, from the President," Sam continued, apparently hoping to impress Mearing and show his worth.

It didn't work. "Yeah," Mearing said. "Great. So, it's not that complicated, right? No one gets to work with the Autobots unless I approve it. You're breaking my chain of command." She leaned forward. "With all due respect, young man, I appreciate what you did. But you're not a soldier. You're a messenger. You've always been a messenger."

Carly's eyes narrowed. "He's a hero," she told Mearing before she pulled Sam out of the office, Brains and Wheelie following.

Valerie didn't move to follow them. She stayed in her seat without a word. "What, you're not going to follow your buddies?" Mearing asked.

"Mearing, can I ask you something?" Valerie said, ignoring Mearing. "I want to know why you do this. Why do you do this? The CIA, the National Intelligence Director? There's only so far you can go on that chain of command, and right now, you're at the top."

She sighed and looked at her medals. "I originally didn't want to do this," she admitted. "Work with the government, I mean. But... at the time, I was in love. He was... he was something else. He wanted to work in the government, so I decided to join him." She sighed again. "We started together, but eventually he got moved to Sector Seven. He's a big person out there now. He wrote a book recently, you know. 'Code- Name Hero.' Maybe you know him. His name is Simmons."

Valerie almost toppled out of her chair. " _Simmons_?" she demanded. "Seymour Simmons?" Mearing nodded, and Valerie took a deep breath. "Man, I need to process that. _Seymour Simmons_. Wow. I'm not sure who to feel worse for right now- him or you."

Mearing raised an eyebrow. "You have an option right now, Ms. Hudson," she said. "You can either go join Bumblebee in protecting Sam or stay here and train with the rest of the Autobots. But let me make this clear- you're not to cause any mischief around here."

"I'll stay," Valerie told her. Then she flashed her an innocent smile. "But I don't see why you'd think that I'd cause mischief."

Valerie left the room and headed to the room where they had reawakened Sentinel. The Autobotsm including Sentinel, were all sitting in a circle, talking about who knew what. When they saw her come in, they grinned and waved. Optimus activated his holoform and walked towards her, wrapping his arm around her waist. "Be on your best behavior," he told her quietly. "Don't get Sentinel mad at you."

"I won't," Valerie said, walking with him back towards the other Autobots. She smiled up at Sentinel when she neared the group. "We were never properly introduced. I'm Valerie Hudson, N.E.S.T. soldier."

Sentinel nodded. "I remember Henry," he commented. "I never talked much to him, though. That was mostly Optimus's job." He smiled at her. "I believe you already know my name, but for the sake of formalities, I am Sentinel Prime." His eyes moved towards the arm that Optimus had wrapped around her waist. "It seems like you've captured Optimus's spark."

Everyone tensed automatically, not sure if Sentinel was happy or mad about Optimus's relationship with Valerie. After a few seconds, Valerie recovered her voice. "It seems I have," she agreed. "And he has mine. Well, my heart. Not my spark. I don't have a spark. If I did, that would be strange." She realized that she was babbling. "You know what? I'm going to shut up now."

Sentinel screwed his eyes shut, and after a second, his holoform was standing in front of them. He was a man in his late fifties with hay colored hair that was turning white. He looked similar enough to Optimus to be his father. After getting used to his new body, Sentinel placed his hand on Valerie's shoulder with a warm smile. "Welcome to the family, Valerie Hudson."

As one, the Autobots relaxed. "Damn," Ironhide muttered in awe. "He's the first one not to get upset at that idea."

Optimus, still in holoform, watched as Valerie and Sentinel started talking. "I'm glad that they get along well," he told Ironhide. "I don't know if I would have been able to stand it if he hadn't approved of our relationship."

Ironhide scoffed. "And if that was the case, we wouldn't be able to stand you, because you'd turn all grumpy," he said. Then he chuckled. "You're lucky to have such a girl, Prime."

Optimus nodded. "I know, Ironhide," he told him. "I know."


	28. Chapter 28

A few days later, Valerie and Optimus had a few rare minutes of free time. They had driven out to a park and were laying on the hood of Optimus's cab, holding hands but not speaking, just drinking in each other's presence.

Valerie was going to suggest doing something when her phone rang. She shifted her weight and pulled her phone from her back pocket, answering the call. "Hello?" she asked.

"Oh, thank God," Sam replied, relief clear in his tone. "Look, is Optimus there?"

She frowned. "Yeah," she told him. "Why?"

Sam let out a sigh of relief. "Listen, I need to tell him something, okay? Put him on speaker phone. It's urgent."

Valerie turned to Optimus, who was listening to her side of the phone. "It's Sam," she mouthed, pressing the speaker button and passing the phone to Optimus.

"Sam?" Optimus asked. "What is it?"

He answered right away, speaking about a mile a minute. Valerie could only barely understand what he was saying. "The Decepticons want Sentinel," Sam told him. "They wanted you to find him so that you could revive him. They wanted you to revive him so that they can get the space bridge working. And they have hundreds of pillars. "

Valerie let out a curse. "This is bad," she said. "We need to get to Sentinel right now and move him somewhere safe." She slid off of the hood, and Optimus followed.

Sam spoke. "I'm with Bee and the rest of the Autobots," he reported. Valerie slid into Optimus's cab, and he deactivated his holoform. "We have Sentinel, we're bringing him to base. When will you guys get here?" he asked.

Valerie shrugged. "Ten?" she answered questioningly as Optimus started driving. "Sam, call Mearing and tell her what's going on."

"Why me?" Sam demanded.

She rolled her eyes. "Because you're the one who doesn't see her every day," she answered. "We've all had enough of her by now. Now call." She hung up and leaned back in the seat as Optimus drove. "We need to prepare for a fight. I'm honestly surprised that the Decepticons haven't tried anything yet, and Sentinel's been alive for a few days already."

"We'll just have to be on alert," Optimus told her.

Valerie sighed. "And what do you call what we've been doing?" she asked. "Not alert? Do you know how many times I've tried to search for any Decepticons in the area?"

Optimus have her a squeeze through the seatbelt. "I'm not saying that you and the others haven't been preforming admirably for the past few days," he said. "You've done your best, and I appreciate that. But now that we know that the danger is, in fact, real, we need to be even more careful."

They were interrupted when Optimus was contacted through the radio. "Optimus!" Ratchet shouted, sounding panicked. "We need backup!"

"What happened?" Optimus demanded instantly.

Ratchet didn't answer, but let out a shout. "Watch out!" he called. "Optimus, get here as fast as you can. Things are turning bad."

Optimus instantly sped up, probably breaking multiple speed limits. If it had been anybody besides Optimus driving, Valerie would have killed them for going so fast. But she knew that Optimus was a careful driver, no matter what speed he was going at. Besides, they had what sounded like a battle to get to.

In the background, they heard Sam shrieking. "Shoot him! Shoot him! Shoot him, Bee!" he ordered. There was a scream that sounded like it was coming from a little girl, so Valerie assumed that it was Sam. "All right, back to N.E.S.T.!"

Sideswipe shouted, "Dino, I got him!"

"Ironhide!" they heard Sam call from Bee's radio.

Valerie tensed as Optimus started driving even faster. "Is there a... problem?" Ironhide asked threateningly.

"Whoa. Little Mexican standoff we got here," Sides added.

An uneasy expression came over Valerie's face. "Please make it out of there alive," Valerie muttered, clenching the wheel of the truck. "Please make it out of there."

A few Cybertronian shouts coming from who Valerie assumed were the Decepticons attacking them drew her attention back to the radio. "Drop them," Ironhide ordered. A few seconds later, he spoke again. "That's good."

"Ironhide, watch out!" Sides warned. There were a few grunts and shouts. "Behind you!"

Valerie waited, even tenser than before, her heart beating quickly. Ironhide had been with them for five years. She almost smiled at the memory of him and Ratchet making her prom dress for her. He couldn't die. "Decepticon punk," Ironhide finally announced, and Valerie let out the breath that she had been holding. "Class dismissed."

"Five minutes until we get there," Optimus reported.

Ironhide scoffed. "Took you long enough," he commented, causing Valerie to roll her eyes. Had she said that she didn't want Ironhide to die? She was rapidly rethinking that statement.

"Get inside!" Lennox shouted. "Let's go!"

Valerie frowned. "Why is Uncle Will there?" she asked. "Did they get to N.E.S.T. already?"

They heard Sam speak through Lennox's ratchet. "We got Decepticons everywhere," Sam stated.

"I've got my whole team deployed looking for them," Lennox replied. "Ironhide, protect Sentinel. Get him locked up inside."

Valerie pictured Ironhide nodding. "Consider it done!" he told Lennox.

Sam spoke up again. "Hey, you've got to guard him, 'cause he's the key to the whole thing," he added.

For the first time, they heard Sentinel's voice. "Indeed I am," he said. "What you must realize, my Autobot brothers, is that we were never going to win the war." Valerie frowned, wondering what Sentinel was trying to say by telling them this. "For the sake of our planet's survival, a deal had to be made... with Megatron."

"What?!" Valerie demanded. "A deal with Megatron?!" A shout of pain from Ironhide interrupted whatever else she was going to say. "Ironhide?" Optimus sped up once again, but Valerie knew that they weren't going to make it in time. The Autobots and N.E.S.T. soldiers weren't going to be able to hold Sentinel there in time for her and Optimus to get there in time.

There was screaming and shouting from the Autobots. "Get back!" Lennox shouted. "Get back! Rally all N.E.S.T. forces back to the base! Come on! Come on! We don't have enough men! Do not engage Sentinel!"

There was more shouting, and Valerie assumed that Sentinel was fighting off the Autobots and N.E.S.T. soldiers. She wondered if the Decepticons that the Autobots had been fighting before were helping him, or if they were dead.

She heard some crashing sounds from the radio. "Uncle Will! What the hell is going on there?" Valerie demanded.

"Sentinel got in the base! He's wrecking the place!" Lennox replied. "Where the hell are you and Optimus? We need you guys here!"

At that, the needle on Optimus's speed gauge reached the highest it could go. Valerie glanced outside and saw everything speeding by, blurry because they were going so fast."Optimus, you're not going to get there if you destroy your engine," Valerie told him quietly.

"Stand down!" a familiar voice ordered. Valerie groaned as Mearing confronted Sentinel. "Hey, Sentinel! What is going on? What do you think you are doing?"

Valerie let out another groan. That definitely wasn't going to get Sentinel to listen. "I am a Prime!" Sentinel roared. "I do not take orders from you! Now, return what belongs to me!"

Optimus made a sudden turn, and Valerie saw the N.E.S.T. base in front of them. "Thank God," she muttered. "Uncle Will, we're here."

"Took you long enough!" Lennox shouted. Optimus transformed the instant he entered the base, Valerie on his shoulder. He hurried into the main hangar, and Valerie took in the damage that Sentinel had done to the base. Everything was wrecked, completely destroyed and scattered all around the room. She glanced at the Autobots and saw that Ironhide wasn't with them. Tears filled in her eyes for her friend's death.

A N.E.S.T. soldier ran into the room. "Sentinel hit the vault!" he announced. "Took the pillars."

Valerie let out a curse and dropped from Optimus's shoulder to the ground. "We need to stop him before he reaches the Decepticons," she said.

Lennox nodded. "Notify the 101st Airborne," he ordered. "We need to hunt this thing down."

Mearing looked up at Optimus. "Yeah, take a look, Optimus!" she snapped. "This is all on you!"

Optimus bowed his head, but Valerie frowned at Mearing. "Sentinel used to be a great leader!" she told Mearing. "Nobody would have thought that he would betray us to the Decepticons!"

"He's the one who brought him back to life without assessing the risks!" Mearing argued. "If anybody's to blame, it's him!"

Valerie glared. "If anybody's to blame, it's Sentinel!" she shouted. "He's the one who betrayed us, not Optimus!" She took a deep breath. "Mearing, we're not going to get anywhere if we're blaming each other for things that we didn't have any control over. But we do have control over what we do about Sentinel, and we need to decide that before he gets even more out of hand."

"I'll go after him," Optimus announced. "I'm the only one who has a chance against him, and, besides, I have a score to settle."

She nodded. "I'm going with you," she said. Optimus opened his mouth to protest, but Valerie held up her hand. "You don't have a say in this, Optimus. I'm not going to let you go in by yourself, and besides, what happens if Megatron or Starscream are there? You're not going to be able to fight all of them yourself." She paused. "And I have to get revenge for Ironhide."

Optimus nodded, but Valerie could tell it was unwillingly. "If there's more than three Decepticons there, you're heading back to base," Optimus ordered. "Do you understand me?"

Valerie sighed. "Fine," she snapped. "Fine."

XXX

Optimus pulled up to the... Lincoln Memorial? Lincoln's statue was destroyed, but his seat was still in tact. Megatron was sitting in the throne, a smug expression on his face. Valerie rolled her eyes; typical Megatron. Starscream was also practically drooling over Megatron. Valerie had predicted that, too.

Sentinel, meanwhile, was setting up all the pillars. They were already all in place, and all he had to do was activate the command pillar for the space bridge to be activated. Valerie had a feeling that Sentinel wasn't planning on using the space bridge to bring cookies to eat and share with Megatron and Starscream.

Optimus transformed and ran towards the memorial, Valerie following him. "Commencing transport," Valerie heard Sentinel say.

"Stop!" Optimus shouted, reaching the memorial. "No, no Sentinel!"

Sentinel looked down. "Forgive me," Valerie heard him mutter, and he activated the space bridge.

Valerie instantly attacked, even though Optimus was standing there in disbelief, eyeing the forming space bridge. She pulled out her Transformium and saw that the light that the Primes had told her formed because of her powers was already there. She stuck out at Sentinel with it, but like with the Fallen, it didn't seem to affect him like the other Transformers. "Crap," Valerie muttered.

Sentinel crouched down, looking at her. He seemed to be unwilling to fight her. "You're a brave human, Valerie Hudson," he said. "You could join us, you know. You don't need to be destroyed."

She sneered at him. "I'd choose death over you on any day," she told him, turning her Transformium into a sword again and chopping at Sentinel's legs. Sentinel stumbled backwards. "You're a cowardly traitor, you know that?"

He regained his balance but still didn't attack her. "You don't understand why I must do this," he said. "But your relatives did. I've been told that they worked with the Decepticons."

That caused Valerie to stumble. "What?" she demanded. "The Hudsons would never stoop to your level, working with those scheming cowards."

Sentinel shook his head. "I believe that you met Dylan Gould?" he asked. "He's with us, you know."

"Is everyone with the Decepticons?" Valerie snapped as she struck out at Sentinel again. Sentinel stepped away from her strike.

He glanced down at her again. "He told you that he worked with a Hudson, did he not?" he reminded her. "Well, they both worked with the Decepticons. I've been told that she was a great asset. She approved of their cause, you know."

Valerie glared. "Well, I don't," she told him. She struck out with her sword, and Sentinel stepped to the side. "Fight back, you traitor!"

"I won't fight you," he said. "It wouldn't be a fair fight."

She fixed him with a murderous glare. "Why?" she demanded. "You didn't seem to have any problems with killing Ironhide, or fighting the Autobots and N.E.S.T. soldiers, or destroying the base, or betraying the Autobots, or bringing Decepticons to Earth to destroy the human race!"

"Valerie, get away from him!" Optimus ordered. He seemed to have recovered from his shock. "Deal with Megatron!"

Both she and Sentinel ignored Optimus. "I did what I had to," Sentinel told her. "Your death would be worthless, Valerie. Come to our side and live."

Her grip on her sword tightened. "Never," she spat.

Suddenly, the space bridge spat out countless Decepticons. Bee and Dino, who were supposed to have been waiting for either Optimus or Valerie's signal, flew into action, hacking down Decepticons. The battle moved to the streets of D.C., and Valerie heard screams and shouts from humans.

Sentinel used the distraction to run away into a park, but Optimus, after picking up Valerie and placing him on her shoulder, started running after him. "You should have let me deal with him," Optimus told her angrily.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I needed to fight him. He needed to pay for what he did to us, to the Autobots."

Optimus shot at Sentinel. Either he missed or it didn't affect Sentinel, because Sentinel kept running. "Autobots, retreat!" Optimus ordered. He turned back to Valerie. "I was planning on bringing him in. You didn't need to fight him!"

They exited the park and splashed into the Reflecting Pool. "He deserves to die!" Valerie shouted at Optimus. "We brought him back to life, but he betrayed us and killed one of our own!"

Optimus lunged at Sentinel, tackling him to the ground. Valerie tightened her grip on Optimus's shoulder so that she didn't fall off. "Why, Sentinel? Why?" he demanded.

"For Cybertron!" Sentinel answered, drawing his sword. "For our home! What war destroyed, we can rebuild! But only if we join with the Decepticons!"

Sentinel lunged at Optimus, and they started fighting, swords clashing. Valerie ran in between their feet, attacking Sentinel's legs and trying to get him to stumble so that Optimus could take him down. It didn't work. "No, it's not the only way!" Optimus told him forcefully. "This is our home! We must defend the humans!"

Valerie stabbed Sentinel's foot, causing him to trip. Optimus attempted to chop off his arm (apparently still planning on bringing him in, not killing him), but Sentinel blocked the strike. "Sentinel, you're an idiot!" she shouted up at him. "If you think that aiding the Decepticons will rebuild Cybertron, you're wrong! They'll turn it into a dictatorship!"

"Don't speak of things that you don't understand, Valerie," Sentinel snapped. "You're just a little girl who's trying on shoes that are too big."

Optimus glared, apparently not liking Sentinel insulting his girlfriend. "Valerie is one of us," he told Sentinel coldly.

Sentinel lunged forward and managed to pin Optimus against a nearby statue with his sword. He aimed his cannon at Valerie at the same time. "So lost you are, Optimus," Sentinel said sadly. "Falling for a human... You should know that they're too weak to bear the burdens of our problems."

"There's nothing weak about her," Optimus growled, repeating what he had told the Fallen in Egypt.

Sentinel continued, ignoring Optimus. "On Cybertron, we were gods. And here... they call us machines. Let the humans serve us, or perish!" he said forcefully. He let Optimus go and aimed his cannon on the ground instead of Valerie. "You're lucky I didn't kill you both. In time, you'll see."

Without another word, Sentinel turned and left the Reflection Pool. "It's not over," Optimus said quietly to Sentinel's retreating figure.


	29. Chapter 29

Valerie and the other Autobots were fixing up base the next day. They had the TV on, but nobody was really paying much attention to it until the screen flickered to an image of Sentinel's face.

"Defenders of Earth," Sentinel told them. "We have come for your natural resources to rebuild out damaged planet. When we have transported all we need, we will leave you world in peace. For such peace to exist, you must immediately exile the Autobot rebels you have harbored. Nonnegotiable. Renounce the rebels. We await your reply."

Mearing stormed in a few seconds later. She had a very cross look on her face. "I'm sorry," she said, talking to the Autobots. "We have to send you back to space."

Valerie glanced up at Optimus worriedly, and she saw that he was looking at her, too. Her eyes filled with tears at the thought of Optimus leaving the planet. She would never see him again, since it was pretty obvious that Earth wasn't welcoming the Autobots again. Optimus instantly activated his holoform and drew her into a hug. Valerie let out a sob and hugged him back.

Mearing's eyes filled with pity, and she placed a hand on each of their shoulders. "I'm sorry," she repeated. "If there was another way around this, I would take it."

Optimus nodded. "I know," he told her. "Thank you for help." Mearing nodded.

For a few seconds, nobody said anything. But then Optimus straightened, pulling away from the hug. "Let's get the spaceship ready," he said.

XXX

Valerie glanced up when she saw Sam walk onto base. It was a few days later, and the spaceship was prepared. The Autobots had just driven from base to the space center, where the Xantium was being launched, but Valerie had stayed behind to catch a plane with Sam and Mearing so that she could see Sam.

For the past few days, the Autobots had insisted that Optimus spend time with Valerie. They refused to let Optimus do any work, and if he tried to, they would kick him out of the area.

She and Optimus had spent most of the time off of base. Valerie had dragged Optimus around to a whole bunch of different places that she had planned on going to with him. She had even gotten him to go on a roller coaster, and it turned out that he was scared of heights. Valerie found that ironic, especially since he was a twenty foot tall robot, but he had been absolutely terrorized on the roller coaster. The past few days had been a miniature heaven for her, but now it was the day- the day that Optimus and the others were leaving Earth and going back to space, never to return.

"Hey," Sam said, sounding glum.

Valerie nodded. "Hey," she replied, just as downcast. She wanted the spaceship out of the area; it was so big that she couldn't sense any other Transformium around the area. And even though the base was about half an hour by plane from the Xantium, she could still sense it. After five years of living with her powers, it made her feel vulnerable to not be able to sense anything. It was like having a stuffy nose. And on top of that, she would never see Optimus again once the spaceship lifted off.

The two of them headed further into base, not saying a word. Mearing walked up to them before they stepped out of the building. "We'll debrief you in transit," she told Sam.

Sam looked uneasy. "Yeah, I really don't see how I can be of any help," he said. Valerie gave him a curious look, knowing that Sam liked to stick his nose into things. "I mean, you guys seem pretty busy. We could just do this another time, I think." His arm suddenly stiffened up, and Valerie's look of curiosity turned to one of concern. "Kkh...ow."

"You okay?" she asked quietly.

He nodded, and Mearing spoke again. "I have underestimated you at every turn," she informed Sam.

"Whuh... what?" Sam asked.

Mearing continued. "You warned us that they were using humans," she explained. "And you knew that Sentinel was the key."

Sam interrupted. "Who am I?" he contradicted. "Hey, you're the expert. I'm just a walking security risk- k- kh- gha!" He stiffened up again and froze, clutching at his arm again.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Valerie demanded. "You don't seem okay right now, dude."

He nodded, jaw clenched. "Yes," he managed to get out.

Mearing raised her eyebrow. "No, you're not," she stated. "You're sweating."

Sam nodded. "I'm... I'm fine," he replied. "I'm fine. I'm sweating because I'm nervous. I'm nervous because you got me in here with this information. Okay, I'm a Twitter junkie. I blog everything. I can't keep a secret to save my life."

Valerie opened her mouth to say that Sam didn't even have a Twitter account, but he sent her a pleading look. " _You owe me_ ," she mouthed to him, and he nodded.

Luckily, Mearing didn't notice their little conversation. "Oh, you wouldn't dare," she said.

The lady with all of Mearing's bags spoke. "Director, the Pentagon's calling in fifteen," she informed Mearing, and Mearing walked away from Valerie and Sam, giving Sam a suspicious look. She sent a glance towards Valerie that was clearly telling her to watch Sam, and Valerie nodded.

Instantly, Sam started going nuts. He walked over towards an analyst. "Sam, what the hell are you doing?" Valerie demanded, hurrying after him. Sam stiffened up again and moved his arm over the head of the analyst's head, practically shoving his underarm in his face. "Get away from there!"

"What are you doing?" the analyst asked, giving Sam a slightly concerned look.

Sam gave the analyst a defensive look. "What are you doing?" he demanded.

The analyst's look turned from concerned to creeped out. "Get away from me," he ordered.

Valerie grabbed Sam's arm and pulled him away from the analyst. "Sorry," she apologized as she walked away. "What the hell was that?" she hissed to Sam when they were far enough away from the analyst.

"Nothing," Sam answered. "Nothing." He still looked uneasy.

They glanced at the nearby TV, where a news reporter was reporting about the exilation of the Autobots. "They can't do this," Sam stated. "You gotta tell them. They can't do that. These are our allies. The Autobots fought for us. They fought with us."

Valerie nodded in agreement. "They've proven that they're on our side," she added. "They've been a great ally, and we've benefited from the agreement that we have with them."

"And where are we now?" Mearing demanded. "Facing an enemy invasion with an enemy that has the means to deploy countless more." They entered the private plane that was taking them to the space center. "If there is any more that you two know, anything at all about the enemy's intentions, now is the time to tell."

Both of them shook their heads, but Valerie thought that Sam was a little hesitant. What was wrong with him today? Something was off; he was acting extremely strange.

"Autobots have no way of leaving this planet," Sam said.

Mearing shook her head. "And that is where you're wrong," she told Sam. "It's name is the Xantium. It brought the second wave of Autobots, and it's been under NASA's care and study ever since. We linked it with a decommissioned shuttle to maintain military control until they're gone."

Valerie interrupted. "So basically you're not giving them any chance to come back," she translated for Sam's sake.

They landed in half an hour, and as they walked towards the ship, passed by Leadfoot and Roadbuster, who were arguing. "Gonna be ten thousand pounds of torque on that itsy-bisty bolt, not nineteen!" Leadfoot told Roadbuster angrily.

"You're gonna risk the lives of all me mates! I'll ball ya!" Roadbuster shouted.

Mearing turned to Sam. "These guys are the Wreckers," she informed Sam. "They take care of the Xantium. We don't let them off the base much, 'cause they're assholes."

Valerie frowned her disapproval. "No, they're not," she said. "They're honorable bots, even if they don't always behave." She turned to Leadfoot and inspected the bolt that he and Roadbuster were looking at. "Here, guys," she told them, grabbing a wrench and tweaking a few things. "That should work."

Leadfoot glanced at Valerie's modifications. "That should work," he agreed. He gave her a small smile, but Valerie could tell that he was saddened that he was leaving Earth. "You're a good girl. Prime's lucky to have you."

Roadbuster mumbled his agreement, and Valerie gave a tight lipped smile to both of them. "Thanks, guys," she said. "It was good working with you."

She turned back to Sam and Mearing, and the three of them walked closer to the ship. Suddenly, Sam caught sight of a familiar face. "Is that you?" he asked, seeing Epps standing there.

Epps turned around and grinned at them. "What up, man?" he said, holding out his hand.

Sam grabbed it and started shaking it. "What are you doing here?" Sam wondered, still shaking Epps's hand.

"I retired from Air Force," Epps answered. He gave Sam's hand a strange look. "Can you let my hand go?"

Sam let go, looking a little sheepish, and Valerie stepped forward and gave Epps a hug. "Hey, Uncle Rob," she said. "How's retirement?"

Epps laughed. "No more combat and aliens shooting at my ass," he replied. "I got a dream job." Valerie let out a small laugh, but her heart wasn't really in it; she was still sad about the Autobots leaving. Epps seemed to realize that, and his smile slid off of his face. "Hey, you okay?"

Valerie nodded and sniffled, wiping a tear out of the corner of her eye. "Yeah," she lied. "I'm fine."

He raised an eyebrow. "You don't seem fine," he said. "You know that if you need to talk to me, I'm here, right?" She gave him a small smile and nodded, the barest trace of tears in her eyes. Epps smiled back and then looked at the Autobots and the spaceship with a sad expression on his face. "Kicking the Autobots out. Can you believe this is happening?"

Sam gestured to the spaceship. "Where do you think it's taking them?" he asked.

Epps shrugged. "Any planet but here," he answered sadly.

Suddenly, a familiar voice interrupted them. "I wanna talk to whoever's in charge here!" Simmons shouted, in a wheelchair and rolling himself in. Valerie instantly rushed up to him and gave him a hug, careful not to touch any of his injuries. "Hey, Little Lady," Simmons muttered, giving her a hug back. Then he turned to see Mearing, and he raised an eyebrow. "Well, well, well. Charlotte Mearing."

Mearing nodded tensely, and Valerie remembered that there was history between them. "Agent Simmons," Mearing said. "Former Agent Simmons." Simmons frowned at that. "So. I see you survived Washington."

Simmons waved his hand dismissively. "Washington, Egypt, heartbreak," he replied. "I survive. I will survive. They're bringing everybody in. Putting intel on the table. And if you think deporting nine Autobots is gonna solve a damn thing-"

Mearing interrupted him. "It's out of my hands," she told him.

He raised an eyebrow. "Moving up in the world, huh?" he asked. "Your booty looks excel-launt."

Valerie grimaced. "That's disgusting," she stated.

Both of them ignored her. Mearing glared at Simmons. "You ever say a word to anyone about what happened that night in Quantico, I'll cut your heart out," Mearing threatened.

Valerie raised an eyebrow. "What happened in Quantico?" she asked.

Once again, both of them ignored her. "You already did," Simmons told Mearing sincerely.

Valerie turned around when she heard Wheelie speaking. "Sammy, listen to me," he pleaded as he and Brains were being moved in a crate into the Xantium. "Don't let them exile us."

Brains nodded vigorously. "Don't let them take us, Sam," he added.

"It's a Decepticon trap," Wheelie continued. Then he caught sight of Valerie. "Valerie, tell them!"

Valerie felt a flash of anger seeing Wheelie and Brains being put in a cage like common animals. She turned to the guys carrying them. "Hey, who said to put them in a cage?" she demanded.

They shrugged. "Mearing," one of them answered. "She didn't want to, though. She just wanted to make sure they didn't try to sneak out."

She frowned. "Well, they're not going to," she said. "Think about it logically. They'd be the only ones who could sneak out and stay on Earth without us knowing, and what would they be able to do? They're barely a foot tall!"

The men glanced at each other, and for a few seconds, they didn't say anything. Finally, one of them nodded. "Okay," he said, and he bent down and sprung the lock. Wheelie and Brains jumped out and ran to Valerie, who got down on her knees. They jumped on her, giving her a hug, and she clutched them to her chest.

"It was good knowing you guys," she told them.

Wheelie nodded. "Same," he replied. "Say goodbye to Warrior Goddess for me, alright?"

Valerie smiled at the reference to Mikaela. "Yeah," she agreed. "Yeah, I will." She then peeled them off of her and placed them on the ground. "Goodbye, then."

"Bye, Valerie," Brains said, and the two of them headed towards the ship.

Standing up, she glanced around for Sam. He was there, speaking with Optimus, and he was clutching his wrist again. Valerie wondered what was up with him as she walked towards the two of them.

Optimus, seeing her, concluded his conversation with Sam. "You are my friend, Sam," he told him. "You always will be. But your leaders have spoken. From here, the fight will be your own." Sam nodded and headed over to talk to Bee.

Valerie looked up at Optimus. "You can't seriously be going," she said. "We can try to reason with the government, fight against the Decepticons and Sentinel. We can't just give up without a fight."

He sighed as he activated his holoform, spreading his arms wide. Valerie threw herself into his arms, burying her face in his shoulder and full out sobbing. He ran his hand soothingly up and down her back. "This is your government's decision. We have no choice," he told her. "But remember this, Valerie; my heart will always be yours. Starting now, I'm claiming you as my conjunx endura. Do you know what that is?"

"No," Valerie answered, voice slightly muffled because she was still hiding her face in his shoulder. "But it sounds Roman."

Optimus let out a chuckle. "Nah, it's not Roman," he replied. "It's a Cybertronian term. It means that you're my soul mate, Valerie. There's no sacrifice I wouldn't make to keep you, no goal I wouldn't try my hardest to achieve to say that you're mine. I'll do anything in the universe for you. You're the most important person in my life, Valerie, and I love you." He leaned in and kissed her, and she kissed back, her cheeks still stained with tears. Optimus tenderly cupped her face and wiped some of the tears away. "Don't cry, Valerie."

Valerie was silent for a few minutes, but then she looked into Optimus's bright blue eyes. "Why would you make our relationship final when you're about to leave?" she asked quietly. "You could have found a different femme somewhere and forgotten about me. But now you're going to have to always miss me."

He lowered his head to hers, touching his forehead to hers. "Do you really think that I'd miss you less if I hadn't said it?" he challenged. "Valerie, I've let a lot of things slip past me in my long life, and I don't want to add this onto that list. I love you, Valerie, and nothing's going to change that."

"But what will the others think?" Valerie said. "I mean, you're the Prime. Is it even allowed for a Prime to have a conlux endurant?"

Optimus interrupted her. "It's a conjunx endura, not... whatever you said. And the way you're talking, it sounds like you don't want to be bonded to me," he observed worriedly. "Was I too hasty? Should I have asked you before I-"

Valerie interrupted him. "Optimus, I want to be your colex ensurda," she said.

"Conjunx endura," he corrected under his breath.

She rolled her eyes, a small smile on her face. "Same difference," she told him. "But, like I was saying, I want to be your... whatever it is. And I want you to be mine."

Optimus frowned. "Valerie, I wouldn't want you to have to give up other guys for me," he protested.

Valerie rolled her eyes again. "Welcome to the last two minutes of my life," she joked.

He continued. "But if you really want to, then yes, I'd be honored to be your conjunx endura." He took a deep breath. "And to answer your question about how the others feel, I don't give a damn. If they don't approve of it, then it's their problem. And if they don't already know how I feel about you, they've been living under a rock for the past five years."

Valerie leaned in and gave him a passionate kiss that he returned with the same fervor. Eventually, they broke the kiss, panting for breath. They locked eyes, and there was a spark in both of their eyes that spoke of the connection that had just been made official.

"Remember that I'll always love you, Valerie," Optimus murmured. "Goodbye." And, after giving her a quick but meaningful kiss, he turned away from her and deactivated his holoform, walking towards the Xantium and joining the other Autobots without a look back. Valerie knew why he didn't turn for one last look at her; if he did, he wouldn't be able to bring himself to leave.

Valerie headed back towards where Sam, Simmons, and Mearing were standing, waiting for the Xantium to lift off. It took a while to get everything ready, but eventually the ship was ready to launch. Simmons wrapped his arm consolingly around Valerie's shoulders as the ship blasted off, leaving Earth for good and taking the Autobots with it.

"Years from now, they're gonna ask us, 'Where were you when they took over the planet?'" Simmons told her as they watched the ship fly upwards. "We're gonna say, 'We just stood by and watched.'"

Tears fell freely down Valerie's face as the Xantium flew farther and farther away. She buried her face in Simmons's shoulder, and he gave her a comforting hug. Mearing placed her hand on Valerie's shoulder, and Epps clapped Valerie on the back. Because everyone was consoling Valerie, nobody noticed Sam slip away. "We're tracking an incoming object," an analyst suddenly said, causing Valerie to pull her head out of Simmons's shoulders and glance up at the Xantium.

A familiar jet was flying towards the Xantium, and when it was close enough, it fired missiles at the ship. The Xantium instantly burst into pieces, falling down to the Earth.

"NO!" Valerie shrieked, trying to run forward. Epps was instantly there, blocking her way. "OPTIMUS! NO!"

She tried pushing past Epps, but he stood firm. "Valerie, stop fighting me," he told her quietly. "There's nothing you can do for him."

At that, the fight went out of Valerie. She crumpled to the ground, sobbing, as Epps did his best to comfort her.

But nothing could ease the pain of loosing a conjunx endura.


	30. Chapter 30

A few minutes later, Sam came running up to them. "I need your help to track a phone call," he told Simmons and his aide, who Valerie had learned was called Dutch. "There's a man on this phone. He's the head of their human operations and he has Carly hostage."

Valerie frowned. "Why do you have him on the phone?" she asked. Then it dawned on her why Sam had been acting so strangely that day and why he had slipped off. "No," she stated. "No."

Sam's expression turned panicked. "Valerie, I can explain-" he started.

She stormed up towards him and pinned him against the wall of the building. "I don't care about your freaking explanation!" she shouted. "How could you betray us?! We all trusted you, Sam! I trusted you! Optimus trusted you! And now they're dead because of you!"

"No, no, no, Valerie!" Sam exclaimed. "I'm not with them! They forced me to work with them! Dylan took Carly hostage! If anybody should understand about how far a person would go for love, it would be you, Valerie!"

For a second, Valerie tensed. It was clear that he was talking about Optimus, and Sam instantly regretted bringing it up. Then she pushed him away from her. "That was a low blow, Witwicky," she snapped.

Dutch interrupted. "The call was placed en route," he announced. "I'm hacking into the phone's camera right now. There, that's it. There's a live stream from the camera. Someplace, right hold on, I'm having a little trouble triangulating this."

Valerie sighed and pushed him away. "Let me see this," she said, and after pressing a few buttons, she looked up. "Trump Tower, Chicago. Lower penthouse."

They started walking towards the exit of the base, Simmons rolling alongside them. Epps caught up with them and started walking, too. "I'm going," Sam announced.

Simmons raised an eyebrow. "You sure?" he asked.

Sam glared. "She's done nothing but try and help me, and I can be there in fifteen hours," he answered.

Valerie nodded. "I'm going, too. Someone needs to pay for what happened to the Autobots," she said.

"You two aren't going in alone," Epps told them. "I still got my N.E.S.T. friends out there. I'll round them up, we'll find your girlfriend, we're gonna bring this guy in."

Sam gave him a strange look. "Why are you helping me?" he asked Epps.

Epps gave him a serious look. "'Cause that asshole killed my friends, too," he answered. "And my niece's boyfriend." Valerie decided not to bring up the fact that Optimus was her conjunx endura, not her boyfriend. Her uncle didn't need to know that her relationship with Optimus had just become something set in stone.

A few hours later, they had a handful of soldiers. The only two whose names Valerie remembered were Eddie and Stone. They all piled into the car drove off towards Chicago.

Fifteen hours later, Valerie, Sam, Epps, Eddie, Stone, and the other retired N.E.S.T. soldiers arrived at Chicago. The whole entire city was wrecked, and humans were running around and screaming. So far, there was no sign of the Decepticons. Valerie wasn't sure if she was relieved about that or nervous. Just as she was thinking that, some military jets flew towards the city, but Decepticons destroyed them in the blink of an eye. Valerie winced.

"My God," Epps muttered. "We came here to find her in the middle of all that?"

Stone looked hesitant. "Are we really going out there, Epps?" he asked.

Eddie shook his head. "I'm not going in there," he said.

Epps nodded. "No one's going in," he stated.

Sam looked at them. "I am," he declared. "With or without you, I'll find her."

"You're gonna get yourself killed," Epps told Sam. "Is that what you want? You came all the way out her to get yourself killed?"

Sam glanced back at the city. "She's here because of me," he replied. "Do you understand?"

Valerie nodded. "I do," she said. "Which is why, even though I haven't forgiven you, I'm going in with you."

Epps looked from Sam to Valerie to the city. "Listen, if you go in this building- that's if she's even still alive- there's no way you're gonna be able to reach her!"

Sam glared. "What do you suggest I do?" he asked.

In response, Epps threw his arms up in the air. "It's over," he said. "I'm sorry, but it's over."

"No," Sam said, shaking his head.

Eddie suddenly started shouting. "Whoa whoa whoa! Incoming!" Valerie and the others turned to see a Decepticon in a ship flying at them.

It started shooting at them, and the soldiers scrambled away, trying to find cover. Valerie formed a shield with her Transformium, and the bullets bounced away from her and the soldiers who her shield covered. "Run, run, run!" Valerie ordered, and everyone ran behind different pieces of destroyed cement. Well, everyone except Sam and Epps. They stayed slightly behind Valerie, and Epps had a gun out. Valerie nodded to them, and she turned her Transformium from a shield into a missile launcher.

Before she could even shoot, the ship spiraled to the ground. Valerie shared a confused look with Epps, who shrugged. "Good job, Valerie!" Sam exclaimed, thinking that Valerie had shot down the ship.

She shook her head. "It wasn't me," she told him.

"It was us," a familiar deep voice said from behind them. Valerie, Sam, and Epps turned to see Optimus striding forward, his gun out. Valerie stared at him in disbelief, but Optimus was more focused on the Decepticon to turn into his holoform to talk to her. Meanwhile, the Decepticon that was in the ship was forcing his way out. "Now we kill them all," Optimus ordered.

Leadfoot jumped into action. "Wreckers, kill it!" he said, and Valerie watched as he, Roadbuster, and Topspin lunged on the Decepticon pilot.

Optimus, once he was sure that the Decepticon was being dealt with, activated his holoform. Valerie ran to him, and he pulled her into a hug. "I thought that you had died," Valerie told him, burying her face in his shoulder.

He caressed her back. "Didn't I say that I would do anything in the universe for you?" he murmured. He turned to the others but kept his arm wrapped around her waist. "Your leaders will now understand. Decepticons will never leave your planet alone. And we needed them to believe that we had gone. For today, in the name of freedom, we take the battle to them!"

The Autobots let out a cheer, but Sam looked at Optimus speculatively. "I saw your ship blow up," he stated.

Roadbuster nodded. "The ship," he agreed. "We were never in the ship! We designed the damn thing, didn't we?"

Leadfoot nodded, as well. "We were hidden in the first booster rocket to separate. Splashed down back in the Atlantic, just as planned. We ain't going nowhere."

Brains nodded. "Yeah, no one's exiling us," he added.

Valerie gave each Autobot a stern look. "So you made us think that you were dead?" she demanded. "You could have told me!"

Optimus shook his head. "I wanted to, sweetspark," he told her.

"Sweetspark?" Valerie muttered, raising an eyebrow.

He continued as if he didn't hear her. "All of us did. But you had to believe that we were gone so that the government didn't get suspicious." Once again, he turned to the others. "They're surrounding the city to make a fortress so that no one can see what they're up to inside. Our only chance is the element of surprise."

Sam looked up. "I think I know where to look," he told Optimus. After spelling out his plan, Sam and Bee headed towards the crashed Decepticon ship. "So you can fly this thing, right?" he asked Bee. Bee made some whirring noises that didn't quite sound reassuring. The two of them flew off in the ship.

Valerie turned to Optimus. "That was pretty nasty," she said. "You know, making me believe that you had _died_. Especially after..." She trailed off, knowing that Epps was within earshot.

Optimus got the message and didn't bring up the fact that they had finalized their relationship. "I said that I was sorry," he replied, pressing his forehead to hers. "You're not going to forgive me?"

She smirked. "Nope," she told him.

He raised an eyebrow. "Really?" he asked. She nodded, and Optimus leaned forward to give her a kiss. Valerie leaned forward as well, but at the last second, Optimus pulled away, smirking.

"Oh, that's it," Valerie said, placing her hands on her hips and fake frowning at him. "You're not going to get away with that. Come here."

His smirk widened. "Nope," he replied, and he started running away. "Not until you forgive me!"

Valerie rolled her eyes and started running after him. Soon it turned into Valerie chasing Optimus around the streets of Chicago, both of them laughing their heads off as Valerie tried to catch Optimus. The others rolled their eyes at their childish antics but figured that Optimus needed to relax with Valerie and let them have their few moments of fun.

Suddenly, there was the sound of a jet flying towards them, and Optimus slowed. He tackled Valerie to the ground, and they laid as still as stone until the Decepticon passed. When it did, Optimus turned to Valerie. Her eyes met his, and without another word, Optimus lowered his lips to hers.

Before they could fully appreciate the kiss, Epps was there. "Hey, lovebirds!" he shouted, using Lennox's old nickname for them while pulling them to their feet. "Get up! The Decepticons know we're here; they're raising the bridges."

Optimus frowned at that bit of news. "We need to rendezvous with Sam and Bumblebee," he said. "And we must contact your government so that they can send reinforcements."

"I think I've got that covered," Epps told him.

A few minutes later, Sam, Bee, and Carly had joined them, and all the humans were leaning over a small drone that Epps claimed should be able to contact Lennox, Mearing, and Simmons.

"Flight Control, do you copy?" Epps shouted at the drone. "Can... can you rotate? Can you do something?"

Nothing happened, and for a few seconds they stared at the drone. Then the camera moved, and Epps grinned. "Yes, yes! Okay, okay, okay! They can see us."

Sam leaned forward. "Chicago is ground zero, do you understand? Can you hear us? You understand?"

Valerie nudged him. "Sam, they can't reply to us," she told him. "Calm down. Just talk."

Carly pushed he way in front of the camera. "Please listen. Sentinel Prime is here and he has the pillars to his space bridge. They're on top of a building on Chicago River. It's owned by Hotchkiss Gould Investments. Now, the pillar that controls everything is in the southeast cupola."

Sam nodded. "You've got to destroy the pillar. You have to shoot down the pillar or they're going to transport Cybertron here, do you understand? Do you understand?"

Valerie rolled her eyes. "Sam, I already told you that they can't answer," she told him. She turned to the camera. "And, just saying, if we don't make it... tell our families we love them."

Optimus spoke. "You're going to make it, Valerie," he reassured her. "You all are." He glanced up at the sky. "We need to move before the fighters spot us. Wait here until we scout a route ahead. Let's roll."

"I'm coming with," Valerie said. Optimus opened his mouth to protest, but Valerie glared at him. "Optimus, I've already been separated from you more than I want to. You're not going to get me to stay here."

He sighed but transformed into his alt mode. Valerie slipped into the cab, and Optimus drove off, the Autobots driving in front of them. They had only been driving for a few minutes when there was a roar from behind them. Valerie stuck her head out of the cab and looked behind them. A Decepticon was coming after them, and she recognized him as Driller, who had attacked them in Russia. That probably meant that Shockwave was there, too.

The Autobots kept driving. Valerie glanced at Driller and Shockwave and saw that they were getting closer. "Optimus!" she warned, and Optimus sped up. However, it wasn't enough. The Decepticons attacked, and Optimus's trailer fell off, laying there in the middle of the street. However, Optimus kept moving.

Everyone rendezvoused in an abandoned building. "They got my trailer," Optimus growled after transforming. "I need that flight tech." He looked up at them, and Valerie knew from his expression that he had an idea. "Shockwave can't hunt all of us at once. Wreckers, we need a diversion."

The Wreckers muttered their agreement, and Epps spoke up. "Listen, we're gonna circle around to that glass building. And we'll get high enough to make the rocket shot while you guys draw his fire. Let's move!"

They were about to leave when Wheeljack spoke up. "Wait a minute!" he exclaimed. "I'm not letting you go out there without my urban combat prototypes!"

Valerie and the other Autobots let out a groan. If Wheeljack started talking about his inventions, it took at least an hour to get him to stop. "We got to go!" Sides told him, exasperated. "Come on."

Wheeljack waved his hand dismissively. "Wait, wait. They're great inventions for kicking ass!" he protested. He dropped a whole bunch of them on the ground.

Sam walked forward and picked up a stick-like thing. "What are these?" he asked.

"Those are boomsticks," Wheeljack answered. "Armed in thirty seconds. Grapple gloves, for climbing."

The soldiers grabbed the gadgets and ran out of the building. The Autobots followed a few seconds later. Valerie, after a second of hesitation, ran after the soldiers.

They made it to the tall glass building that Epps had talked about. "Go for the stairs!" Epps ordered.

"Let's go, let's go!" Eddie agreed.

After a few minutes of climbing, Sam stopped. "Come on, we're high enough!" he told them. They went over to the side of the glass building.

"This is a mother getting up here!" Eddie complained. Valerie scoffed.

Epps glared. "Get your fat ass over here!" he shouted.

"I'm coming," Eddie answered defensively, making his way over to the window.

They started to set up the rocket when Valerie felt a Decepticons in jets flying at them. "Decepticons in jets coming!" she warned. "A lot of them!"

At that moment, the jets started firing at the building. "Shit!" Valerie cursed as the part of the building above the line that they were firing at started collapsing. Of course they were on the top half.

"This is not a good idea. The building is unstable," Eddie told them.

Valerie shot him her best _no duh_ look that she only reserved for the biggest idiots. "Listen, stop for a second," Sam said. "If we don't do what we came to do, it doesn't matter, we all die, right?" He pointed at the building. "That's your target."

Eddie glared. "I don't even care if the building collapses," he replied. "I'm having a heart attack anyway."

Suddenly, the building started tipping. "The building is going over! Hang on!" Epps shouted. Valerie grabbed for the nearest thing that wouldn't start sliding once the building got horizontal and clung on.

There were a few shouts and curses from the soldiers, but eventually the thing stopped falling. Valerie let out a sigh of relief. "That wasn't that bad," she commented, but then, as if on cue, she felt a Decepticon coming at them. "Decepticon incoming!" she warned.

"Everybody hide!" Epps ordered. He grabbed Valerie's wrist and pulled her behind a column with him.

For a few seconds nobody moved, and the Decepticon stood there, growling. It didn't seem to know where they were, and Valerie hoped it would stay that way. Then Epps reached into his pocket and pulled out a grenade, giving Valerie a meaningful look. She nodded, and Epps, after a second of hesitation, threw the grenade at the Decepticon.

"Run!" Epps shouted as the grenade went off, stunning the Decepticon. "Shoot the glass! Jump out the window!"

Valerie turned her Transformium into a gun and shot the glass out with a few other soldiers, and they slid out the window. Because the building was on a slant, they slid down the building like it was a slide. It seemed good- they were getting away from the Decepticon- but they couldn't stop sliding.

"Shoot the glass!" Epps ordered, and the first few soldiers did what he said. They fell in, and the others did, too.

Just as Valerie was about to slide in, a giant hand picked her up, and she was lifted into the air. There were shouts of protest from the soldiers below, but they couldn't do anything.

"Sentinel wants you, human," Shockwave told her.


	31. Chapter 31

Valerie instantly lashed out at him with her light, which had once again formed. Shockwave instinctively dropped her, and Valerie turned her Transformium into a sword, sticking it into Shockwave's leg and dangling from it. "Come here, human!" Shockwave roared. Out of the corner of her eye, Valerie saw Sam, Carly, Epps, and the rest of the soldiers staring at her with concern, but she gestured for them to go on. Epps nodded and pushed everybody forward.

She turned back to Shockwave. "Hey, you idiot!" she shouted. "I'm over here!" He looked down at her, and he raised his hand to swat at her. However, when it came close to her, she pulled her sword out of Shockwave's leg and stabbed it into his hand. Shockwave let out a shout and tried to shake her off, and Valerie let out a loud curse as she did her best to keep her grip on Shockwave.

Shockwave apparently thought that he had shaken her off, because he stopped shaking his hand. He turned to the glass building. "Driller-bot is thirsty," he growled, and at that moment, Driller burst out of the ground and launched himself at the building, destroying it and eating away any supports that had survived from the previous attack.

That did it. Valerie wasn't going to let Shockwave kill her friends while she stood by and watched. She pulled her sword from his hand and turned it into the light, waving it around in front of his face. Shockwave turned around and saw Valerie. "You! I didn't kill you yet?" he demanded.

"Apparently not!" Valerie replied, attempting to wrap her light around his neck. However, Shockwave dodged and let out an angry roar.

Out of the corner of her eye, Valerie saw Epps looking out the window at Driller. "Why do the Decepticons always get the good shit?" she could have sworn she heard him shout. She smirked as she climbed off of Shockwave's hand and onto his arm.

Shockwave pulled her attention back to him when she heard his cannon powering up. She wrapped her light around his arm and yanked. The light cut through his arm, and it fell of, cannon and all. Shockwave let out another angry roar and twirled around like a dog chasing his tail, trying to get to Valerie. But since she was clinging to his only surviving arm, he couldn't exactly fire at her without injuring himself. She was in a good position right now.

The soldiers started shouting again, and Valerie saw that they had tried to evacuate the glass building onto the fire escape of another nearby one, and Carly was now clinging onto Sam's hand, her legs dangling out. It didn't look like Sam could hold her up for any longer.

Valerie made a split second decision. She turned her Transformium into a giant water-slide like contraption that led down to the next floor, where a soldier that Valerie was pretty sure was called Hooch was standing. Sam let Carly go, and she slid down into safety.

But in saving Carly, Valerie had left herself without any weapons or means of defense. Shockwave let out a shout of victory and finally succeeded in throwing her off of him. Valerie screamed as she was suddenly flying away from Shockwave, rapidly nearing the ground. She saw Optimus with his flight tech from Jetfire nearby, and he dove forward, hand outstretched to catch her.

The next second, she was in his giant metal hand. "I think this is the second time I've saved you like this," he told her wryly, probably referring to Mission City, when she and Sam had fallen from the roof of the building when Megatron had destroyed it with his mace. He had saved her then, just as he had now.

"It is," she told him. "But to my defense, I wasn't trained then."

Optimus raised an eyebrow. "So that just brings up the point that now you're trained, and you're falling towards the ground and certain death once again," he replied.

Valerie rolled her eyes. "Go save the soldiers and get rid of the Driller dude," she ordered. "He's seriously getting on my nerves." She twisted in Optimus's hand to see Shockwave watching Driller with satisfaction. "And I have a score to settle with Shockwave."

"Be careful," he told her as he brought his hand to the ground so that she could hop off. "Oh, and I think this is yours." He opened his other hand, which contained her Transformium. He must have picked it up before he saved her. She took it as she headed back towards Shockwave and he headed towards Driller.

She glanced up at Shockwave. "Dude, I'm back!" she shouted, jumping up and down and waving her hands in the air. "Want a rematch."

Shockwave looked down and sneered at her. "Why would I want a rematch if I've beaten you once before?" he asked.

Valerie raised an eyebrow. "So you don't look like you're a sissy," she told him. "You know, in saying that you don't want to fight me, you're basically saying that you're scared of me and don't want to fight me again because you think that I'm going to beat you." She heard Optimus shouting as he fought Driller, but she ignored that and focused completely on Shockwave.

"Well, if that's the case, give me your worst, human," Shockwave sneered, readying the only cannon that he had left. In response, Valerie pulled out her Transformium, which, once again, had formed the light.

She attacked first, attempting to yank off his other arm. However, Shockwave had been expecting that, and he dodged the light, shooting at her. Valerie turned her Transformium into a shield, and the shot bounced back, narrowly missing Shockwave. He growled.

A shout from Optimus and a screech from Driller turned both of their attentions to the other battle. Optimus had just succeeded in killing Driller, and Driller fell to the ground, dead. Shockwave let out a growl and shot a handful missiles at Optimus. Because he hadn't been expecting that, the missiles got Optimus's flight tech, and he spiraled out of control, getting tangled in some wires.

Valerie would have loved to run after Optimus and free him, but she had to deal with Shockwave. She turned back to him and saw that he wasn't even paying attention to her; he was reveling in having taken down the great Optimus Prime. "Okay, dude, that's it," Valerie muttered, twirling her light like a lasso and tossing it around his head.

Shockwave let out a shout, and his attention was brought back to her. He tried to shoot at her with his remaining arm, but she ran at him, zigzagging randomly so that he didn't know where she was going to be next. Honestly, she would have preferred to kill him from back there, but he was probably going to shoot her if she stayed over there. He started firing randomly, but none of the shots hit her because of how she was running. After a few seconds, she reached him, and she yanked hard on the Transformium, causing his head to fall off and land by her feet. Valerie had to scoot to the side to not get squished by the giant head.

"Hey, Val!" Epps shouted, and she turned around to see him and the rest of their small group running up to her. "Did you see Sam?"

She raised an eyebrow. "You lost Sam?" she demanded.

Epps turned around and glared at Eddie. "He was supposed to be watching them," he said accusingly.

Eddie raised his hands in surrender. "I ain't signed up for all this!" he exclaimed defensively. "Got aliens blasting at me, running around and chasing me! I'm ducking through churches and buildings and all that kind of crap, man! This is bullshit! I ain't signed up for his, Epps." He took a deep, steadying breath. "I'm trying to keep it together."

Valerie placed a hand on his shoulder. "And you're doing fine," she told him. She turned to the others. "I'm gonna go help Optimus get out of the wires, then I'll look for Sam and Carly, okay?"

Epps nodded. "Be careful," he said.

She rolled her eyes. "I'll be fine, Uncle Rob," she replied. "I don't see why everyone always tells me to be careful." He rolled his eyes back at her, and she gave him a quick hug before turning away from him and heading towards Optimus.

The Wreckers were already trying to untangle him from the wires, but they weren't having that much success. What didn't help was that Optimus wasn't exactly the best patient to work with; he was obviously impatient to get fighting again and kept fidgeting.

"Optimus, you're not helping them work!" Valerie shouted up to him. "If you just stay still, they can get the work done quicker!"

He turned to her. "Are you uninjured?" he asked. "Did Shockwave hurt you?"

Valerie rolled her eyes. "So much confidence in me," she said sarcastically. "Optimus, I've been fighting Decepticons for five years. And to answer your question, Shockwave didn't even lay a finger on me. And I killed him, btw."

Optimus nodded. "Good," he replied. He turned to Leadfoot impatiently. "Are you done yet?"

Leadfoot glared. "We would be if you would stop moving around, Prime," he told him impatiently.

Valerie let out a chuckle. "I should so record this," she commented. "Think about how great a hit this would be on YouTube; _The Great Optimus Prime Stuck in Wires_."

Optimus rolled his eyes and was about to reply when his eyes widened. "Valerie, watch out!" he shouted, but it was too late. A heavy metal hand collided with her body, and she was sent flying in the air. The Wreckers stopped their work and formed a protective line in front of Optimus as the Decepticon walked towards them.

The Wreckers started firing at the Decepticon when it became clear that he wasn't going to be intimidated by them. Optimus, meanwhile, was trying to yank the wires off of him, but he just ended up getting more tangled in them. Valerie, meanwhile, let out a groan as she sat up. "Whoa," she muttered when the blood rushed to her head. She was sore all over, probably from being smacked by a Decepticon and landing on pavement with no cushioning.

She let out another groan but forced herself to her feet, hurrying to Optimus. The Wreckers were fighting the Decepticon, but they didn't seem to be able to kill him. On the bright side, the Decepticon wasn't able to get any of the Wreckers, either. Valerie turned to Optimus and turned her Transformium into two giant hands and quickly set to work in untangling Optimus while the Wreckers handled the Decepticon.

There was a sudden shout, and Valerie glanced behind her to see that the Decepticon had managed to injure Topspin. Valerie wasn't sure if it was fatal or not, but the Wrecker was now unconscious on the ground. "Hurry," Optimus said quietly.

Valerie glared at him. "What do you think I'm doing?" she demanded as she set back to work.

Despite Valerie rushing, she was only about halfway done with untangling Optimus. There was another shout, and Leadfoot was tossed away, as well. Only Roadbuster was left standing.

She turned back to Optimus. "Optimus..." she muttered, fear in her eyes. "I have an idea."

He frowned. "What?" he asked. Valerie took a deep breath and spelled out her plan. When she was done, Optimus shook his head. "No. It's too risky. You could die."

Valerie sighed. "Optimus, the Primes told me to learn to weigh the risks and results," she said. "Right now, the results outweigh the risks. I'm going in." She fixed him with a serious expression. "No matter what happens, I love you." She turned towards the Decepticon before giving Optimus a chance to reply. "Roadbuster! Retreat and help Optimus!" Valerie ordered, hurrying towards the fighters. Roadbuster nodded and headed back towards Optimus. Valerie was facing the Decepticon alone.

"Give me your worst, human," the Decepticon growled. "There's nothing you can do that can harm me."

She gave him a small smile. "Thank you for saying that," she told him. "Now I have the chance to prove you wrong."

And she let loose.

Valerie had never controlled a Cybertronian before, but her instincts took over. Clsing her eyes, she spread her arms wide and extended her will from her body and out into the air. To the others, it looked like a blue bubble was extending from Valerie and out towards the air around her started moving, and soon her hair was whipping around in the breeze like a multicolored flag. Optimus, Roadbuster, and the Decepticon watched in awe as she directed the blue bubble towards the Decepticon.

The second the blue bubble touched the Decepticon, he let out a gasp and stiffened. Valerie's brows furrowed in concentration as she forced the Decepticon to do what she wanted. After a few tense seconds of Valerie's and the Decepticon's wills clashing, the Decepticon's arm moved towards his chest, and his hand closed around his spark. "No," the Decepticon said, eyes wide, as he fought Valerie's control. "No no no!"

"Yes," Valerie muttered, and her eyes flew open. Her whole entire eye was blue; the pupils and whites were gone. "Yes."

Without another word, the Decepticon yanked out his spark, and he fell to the ground, dead. Valerie crumpled as well, and the wind died down. For a few seconds, Optimus and Roadbuster stared at the fallen Decepticon and Valerie's unconscious form in shock.

Optimus recovered first. "Valerie!" he shouted. "Valerie! Roadbuster, get me out of this!"

Roadbuster placed a restraining hand on Optimus's chest. "Prime, calm down," he said. "Can't you see? She's talking with the Primes."

XXX

Once again, the first thing Valerie was aware of was the light.

She glanced around her now familiar surroundings; she had been here twice before. There were the same three rocks, in the same place and the same size as the last time that she had been here.

"I know that you're here," Valerie said, turning around behind her. Sure enough, the Primes were standing there. Except, this time, there were... eight?

Valerie paled when she recognized the newest figure. "No," she stated. "No. _You_? How did _you_ become a Prime?"

The Fallen looked at her regretfully, and Valerie realized that he now had blue optics. "I'm truly sorry about what I did in Egypt, Valerie Hudson," he said. "I was living under false beliefs. But now, in death, I see what I did wrong. If you noticed, I'm now an Autobot, like the rest of my brethren." He gestured to his optics.

She turned to the Primes. "How could you let him join you after all that he did to you? To Cybertron? To Earth?" she demanded.

"He has apologized," one of the Primes answered.

Valerie raised an eyebrow. "Oh, so he can just get back on your good side by _apologizing_?" she snapped. "Apologies can be faked!"

Another Prime interrupted. "But the color of optics cannot," he told her. "Valerie Hudson, the Fallen has proved himself as one of our own. He was the one who warned Optimus that you needed help when Shockwave threw you to the ground."

She turned to the Fallen. "You did?" she asked.

He nodded. "I did," he answered.

Still not trusting him yet but accepting his presence there, Valerie turned to the other Primes. "So I used my powers," she stated. "I'm assuming that's why you've called me here?"

One of the Primes nodded. "Yes," he said. "We need to talk to you about the repercussions of what you did to the Decepticon." He gestured to the Fallen. "Since our brother here knows the most about your powers, he will explain to you."

The Fallen knelt to the ground. "I believe that my brothers explained to you that a Decepticon would have the power to control an Autobot one time to balance the scale," he told her. Valerie nodded, eyeing him cautiously. "Well, normally it would be the Decepticon that you controlled that would be able to control an Autobot, but, well, in this case, he's dead. So that means that the honor falls to the leader of the Decepticons."

"Megatron," Valerie muttered.

He nodded. "Megatron," he agreed. "We explained what powers he has now to him."

Valerie's jaw dropped. "You explained it to him?!" she demanded. "Why did you do that?! He's the _bad guy_ , for goodness's sakes!"

The Fallen raised an eyebrow. "We, as Primes, need to follow the rules that Primus laid out and do our part to keep the scales balance," he told her. "And that involves telling the Decepticons what powers they have." Valerie muttered some choice words about keeping the balance, but the Fallen ignored her. "Megatron will most likely use his powers on Optimus and attempt to kill him. You must keep Optimus in your sight at all times, Valerie. I can't stress that point enough.

Valerie nodded. "Okay, keep Optimus in my sight. Check," she agreed. "Who's Megatron's second choice to use his powers on?"

The Primes shared a look. "We think..." one started.

"...you, Valerie," another finished.

Her jaw dropped again. "Me?!" she demanded. "Me? Why me?!"

The Fallen sighed. "You really have no idea how much you inspire Optimus," he said. "Without you, I'm sorry to say, but Optimus probably wouldn't have attempted to come back after the humans exiled the Autobots. He also wouldn't have fought for the human race with that much dedication without you. Megatron sees that, Valerie, and he feels that if you're gone, so is Optimus."

Valerie looked speculative. "Oookay," she replied. "Sooo... what should I do about that?"

The Primes shrugged in synch. "That's up to you," the Fallen told her. "Just remember that you could be in danger."

"I always am in danger," Valerie muttered.

He heard her, even though she hadn't meant for him to, and he nodded. "That is too true, unfortunately," he agreed. "Now, return to Optimus's side, and remember that Megatron now as the power to win the war and defeat the Autobots for good."

And then all Valerie could see was black.


	32. Chapter 32

"Valerie!" a voice shouted as her eyes slowly opened. Optimus was in holoform, kneeling by her side and propping her head up with a concerned look on his face.

She let out a groan as she sat up. Her powers could only sense Transformium up to about fifty yards away from her, and her gut was being pulled to the sky, telling her that there was a giant chunk of Transformium up there. It was like the stuffy nose feeling that she had had when she was near the Xantium but a million times worse. Also, she was still sore from being tossed to the ground, but it was manageable. "I'm fine," she told Optimus. "How long was I out?"

He helped her stand up. "A few minutes," he answered. "Sentinel was able to activate the space bridge." He glanced up, and Valerie gaped at the half of Cybertron that was facing them. It was made completely of Transformium. "He plans to bring Cybertron here and use your species to restore Cybertron to its former glory." He looked at her. "And I'm not going to let that happen."

Valerie nodded. "And I'm with you," she said, but even as she said it, she stumbled as a sudden headache overcame her. "Whoa... I'm so not using those powers again."

"You should stay here," Optimus told her, concern filling his eyes.

Valerie glared. "Nope. Not pulling that one on me," she said. "I'm coming with you. Now let's go before Sentinel actually brings the whole entire Cybertron here."

He sighed but acknowledged the truth in her words. He deactivated his holoform and walked towards her in his Autobot body, holding out his hand. She jumped into his palm, and he placed her on his shoulder. "Hang on," he warned, and he started off at a run towards the control pillar.

Within a few minutes, they arrived at the battle scene. It was chaotic, with the Autobots and soldiers fighting the Decepticons. Sentinel was still on the building that Carly had told them about. Optimus raised his cannon and shot at the control pillar, causing it to fall. Sentinel turned towards the ground, and when he saw Optimus standing there, his eyes narrowed. "Get down here, Sentinel!" Optimus shouted.

Sentinel sneered. "Optimus, you forget your place," he replied. "I bring you Cybertron. Your home! And still you choose humanity." The displeasure was clear in Sentinel's tone. "And you, Valerie Hudson! I offered you a place with us, treated as an honorary Cybertronian. Until now, it was unheard of, but I was willing to make an exception for you! Yet you, too, still fight for the human race!"

Valerie glared at him. "I will always defend the humans," she told him. "I am and always will be one of them, despite how many aliens I can call that would willingly kick your butt for me!"

Optimus glared. "And she already is a honorary Cybertronian," he added. "She's one of us."

At that, Sentinel glared. "You've changed since I saw you last, Optimus!" he shouted, climbing down the building with his blade. Sentinel made it to the ground, and he headed towards Optimus. "Before, you would have seen that the humans don't deserve what they have," he continued. He reached Optimus, and their blades clanged as they met. "They deserve to be slaves."

"They have the capacity to be more!" Optimus told Sentinel, slashing at Sentinel. "You were the one who taught me freedom is everyone's right."  
Their swords clashed once more. "I will retrigger that pillar!" Sentinel said with certainty.

Optimus glared. "Then you'll have to get through me!" he replied angrily, letting out a shout as he struck out at Sentinel.

Valerie saw Sam bolt off in the direction of the fallen pillar. Knowing Sam, there were bound to be a few Decepticons that would be after him in a few seconds. With a sigh, she climbed down Optimus, careful not to get in the way of his and Sentinel's fight. Once she landed on the ground, she took off after Sam, avoiding their moving feet. She hurried after Sam, jogging in the direction that she had seen Sam going in.

As she ran away from the fighting Primes, the sounds of battle became quieter until she could hardly hear them anymore. Because of his head start, Valerie wasn't able to find Sam right away. She ran into dead ends and had to turn around quite a few times. She was getting more and more aggravated; she wasn't helping anyone right now. She could have been helping Optimus fight Sentinel, but she had decided to go after Sam instead and left him. However, she had ended up getting lost and running around in the city.

She let out a shout of frustration and was about to try to find her way back to Optimus when she felt a Decepticon coming after her. She only had enough time to turn around as her light turned into a shield when the Decepticon came into sight, wielding an axe. The axe bounced off the shield, and the Decepticon stumbled backwards. Valerie didn't hesitate in following through with her attack. Her light turned from a shield into a glowing sword (she had never tried that before) and ran forward with a yell, her sword aimed at his spark. She rammed her sword into the Decepticon's spark, and he letout his last breath. Valerie turned away, not knowing exactly where she was going. All she knew was that she wanted to get away from that area in case other Decepticons were there.  
Once she was a few streets away from the now dead Decepticon, Valerie wished that she could sense Transformium and find the control pillar, but Cybertron was just too big. She couldn't even sense the dead Decepticon anymore. She hated the feeling of it.

"No! You can't do this, okay?" Valerie heard Sam tell someone with a desperate tone in his voice. She frowned, not knowing who Sam was talking to. Had he found the pillar? Had he destroyed it?

A familiar voice replied. "There's only one future for me," it said.

Valerie sped up, knowing exactly who Sam was speaking to. "Dylan, no!" she shouted as she reached them, but it was too late; Dylan had reactivated the pillar. She heard Sentinel let out an extremely loud shout of joy as he saw the pillar rise.

There was a grunt, and Valerie turned her attention back to Sam and Dylan. Sam had tackled Dylan, and the two of them were rolling around on the ground, wrestling. Valerie decided to help out Sam and pulled Dylan off of him, sending Dylan flying backwards with a powerful sidekick to his chest. "Take him out!" Valerie ordered, turning away from them and running back towards the battle between Optimus and Sentinel to help Optimus.

Valerie knew where to go to back to this time, and she got there quicker than she had the first time. She just made it out of the building area and was heading towards the bridge that Optimus and Sentinel had moved to when she sensed someone coming at her from her side.

Hand on her Transformium, she twirled around. Sure enough, a battered Megatron was standing there, and her light acted up, forming a protective shield around her. "Calm down, Hudson," Megatron told her, voice sounding annoyed but not murderous. "I'm not here for you." He walked straight past her, causing her jaw to drop to the ground as he started jogging towards Optimus and Sentinel.

Carly walked up to Valerie. "Watch and see," she told Valerie, a smirk on her face.

There was a shout from the bridge, and Valerie saw that Sentinel had pinned Optimus to the bridge and severed his arm. Concern and panic instantly filled Valerie. "Optimus!" Valerie shrieked, running in his direction.

Optimus's optics snapped up, and they focused on Valerie. "No!" he shouted. "Stay away, Valerie! Once he's done with me, he'll kill you!"

Suddenly, Megatron stepped closer to the two Primes, yanking an unsuspecting Sentinel off of Optimus, shoving him away. Valerie watched as a giant red bubble extended out of Megatron's spark. That must have been the powers that he had gotten because what Valerie had done to that Decepticon.

Sentinel and Optimus froze, staring at Megatron with almost identical shocked expressions. Megatron's bubble reached Sentinel, and the Prime fell in pain, screaming and clutching at his head. Valerie winced; even though Sentinel was a cowardly traitor, he was acting like he was in so much pain.

"This is my planet!" Megatron shouted, and he let out a roar. His bubble turned a vivid, bold red, and part of Sentinel's head exploded, pieces of Transformium flying everywhere. Then Megatron's bubble was gone, and so were his powers.

For a few seconds, everyone stared at the remains of Sentinel's head. Valerie didn't understand how he was still alive, but he was, even if it seemed like he was in a lot of pain. At that moment, there was a big ear-shattering crack, and everyone's heads snapped upwards. Something had happened to the space bridge, and it was collapsing, sucking all of the Decepticon ships towards Cybertron. Valerie watched as the space bridge collapsed for good, destroying Cybertron and the Decepticon ships, who were stuck on Cybertron.

Nobody spoke for a while. They just stared up at the destroyed planet, and Valerie felt her heart go out to Optimus and the other Cybertronians, even the Decepticons. If they ever had any chance to go back to their home, it was destroyed now, scattered amongst the debris of the once mighty planet.

Megatron then turned to Optimus "I caused him to sabotage his self destruct device so that it only destroyed half his head and activated so slowly that he could feel his head being destroyed," he explained. "Now, we need a truce. All I want is to be back in charge. Besides, who would you be without me, Prime?" He sounded confident that Optimus would agree.

A fire rose in Optimus's optics. "Time to find out," he challenged, and they lunged at each other, weapons clashing. Optimus took his axe with his one arm left, and he stuck it into Megatron's head, tearing it off. It looked like Optimus had barely broken a sweat during the fight with Megatron.

Valerie instantly ran up to Optimus. He activated his holoform (which still had two arms) and wrapped his arms around her. She reached up and gave him a long kiss, putting all her unsaid concern into it. "Are you okay?" she asked, pulling away from the kiss.

A sudden groan from Sentinel brought their attention back to him. "Optimus, all I ever wanted was the survival of our race. You must see why I had to betray you."

That caused Optimus's expression to harden, and he deactivated his holoform, taking aim with Megatron's fusion shotgun. "You didn't betray me," Optimus told Sentinel, tone laced with ice. "You betrayed yourself."

Sentinel's eyes widened. "Valerie, don't let him!" he pleaded. She could tell that he was getting desperate. "Your relative never would have wanted this!"

Valerie glared, crossing her arms. "I'm not my relative, Sentinel," she snapped, a sudden rush of anger flowing through her. "It's about time that you learned that I'm my own person."

Seeing that Valerie wasn't going to help him, Sentinel turned back to Optimus. "No, Optimus!" he started, but Optimus fired the cannon at him without another word. Sentinel's blue optics dimmed; he was dead.

Everyone stared at Sentinel's limp form for a few more minutes. Then Optimus activated his holoform, pain in his eyes. Valerie instantly knew that he needed comforting, and she gave him another hug. He collapsed into it, his shoulders shaking. It took Valerie a few minutes to realize that he was crying.

"Shh," she muttered, rubbing his back comfortingly. "Shh, Optimus. You did what was right."

He shook his head. "I killed him," he said. "I killed him. He was my mentor, my father, and I killed him. What have I turned into, Valerie? What monster would kill his own kin?"

Valerie pulled away from the hug and placed her hands on his shoulders, looking into his bright blue eyes. "Optimus, if you didn't do it, then he would have enslaved the entire human race and killed all of the Autobots," she reminded him. "You were protecting everyone. Nobody's going to fault you for doing that."

Optimus nodded, taking a deep breath. "You're right," he muttered. "You're right. I'm sorry for breaking down on you like that..."

She rolled her eyes. "Optimus, you had every right to break down," she told him. "Just remember that I'm always here if you need a shoulder to cry on, okay?"

Before he could reply, there was a the sound of the wedding tune coming from where the other Autobots, Lennox, Sam, and Carly were gathered. Valerie laughed, heading over towards them with Optimus right behind her. "What, are we having a wedding?" she asked, noticing the rings that were scattered on the ground.

Sam stared up at Bee with an exasperated expression. "Bee, you've got to slow it down," he stated. "You got to slow it way down, okay?"

Valerie fake pouted. "Aw, come on," she complained. "I have to wait longer for the wedding?"

Sam raised an eyebrow at her. "Oh yeah, well what about you and Optimus?" he challenged. "You guys have known each other longer than Carly and I."

She turned to Optimus, who nodded. His expression clearly told her that the decision was up to her. Valerie turned back to Sam. "About that... well, we kinda are married," she said.

Instantly, everyone's jaws dropped to the ground. Lennox and Epps looked murderous. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Back up a bit. _When_ did you get married?" Lennox demanded.

Valerie sighed. "We're conjunx enduras," she explained. "That's the Cybertronian term for soul mate. It became official before the Xantium lifted off."

Lennox looked speculatively from Valerie to Optimus. "Are you sure you want this, Valerie?" he asked. "I mean, it's not that I don't approve of Optimus, but being married to a robot..."

"Yes, I want this," Valerie answered with a ring of authority in her voice.

Optimus interrupted. "That's the closest thing the Cybertronians have to marriage, but it's not exactly a human marriage," he told them. "Actually, in human terms, we're not even engaged yet." He bent down and picked up one of the rings that Bee had dropped for Sam and Carly. "So I believe we'll be needing this." He got down on one knee, holding the ring out to Valerie. "Valerie, ever since we first met five years ago, I've been amazed by your spirit, courage, and most of all, your loyalty. You were always there for me when I needed you. You've given me something to fight for in this long battle, a new cause. I love you, Valerie. Will you marry me?"

Valerie smirked. "Well, I already agreed to be your conjunx endura, so I think you already know the answer," she said. "But, for the sake of formalities... yes yes yes yes!" She jumped on him and tackled him to the ground, giving him a long kiss filled with passion.

The surrounding Autobots and soldiers either exclaimed, "Aww!" or "Eww!" Bee started playing a song. " _I have died every day waiting for you. Darlin' don't be afraid I have loved you for a thousand years. I'll love you for a thousand more._ "

Valerie rolled her eyes as she stood up, pulling Optimus with her. He wrapped his arm around her waist. "Bee, you don't need to be dramatic about it," she complained, but the tone in her voice clearly said that she was pleased.

Ratchet shrugged. "It's a long overdue declaration of love," he stated. "We've been waiting for you guys to make it final ever since Egypt."

Optimus turned to Lennox and Epps while Valerie complained that Ratchet was too much of a romantic if he had predicted their marriage since Egypt. "I don't know much about human traditions, but I do know that a person in my position would ask a parent or guardian for their permission to marry their daughter," he told them. "So right now I'm asking you for your support and permission to do this."

Lennox and Epps shared a glance, and they turned back to Optimus. "We've fought side by side for a while now," Lennox started.

Epps smirked. "We've shared blood, sweat, and precious metal together, too," he continued, reusing the line that he had told Galloway all those years ago.

"We trust you," Lennox added. "So we're going to agree to this."

Epps nodded. "Just remember, if you hurt her in any way, you're dead," he told Optimus seriously. "And I mean dead dead."

Optimus nodded. "Thank you," he said. "I'll keep her safe to the best of my ability."

After a few minutes, Optimus and Valerie separated themselves from the group, who then started talking about Sam and Carly getting together. Optimus glanced up at the sky, which still held the remains of Cybertron. Valerie knew what he was thinking about. She squeezed his hand, and he turned back to her, a small smile on his face. But there was still a trace of pain in his eyes. His gaze returned to the destroyed planet, and Valerie didn't miss the wistful expression on his face.

"In any war, there are calms between storms," he told her. "There will be days when we lose faith. Days when our allies turn against us. But the day will never come that we forsake this planet and its people."

She sighed and leaned her head on his shoulder. "What's next?" she asked. "What's going to happen to us? To the Autobots."

Optimus sighed. "I have a feeling that the human government won't take kindly to the mess that we've made," he answered, gesturing to the ruins of Chicago. "The Autobots will be cast out, hunted like terrorists. We'll have to go undercover and stay that way." He turned to her, blue eyes serious as he cupped her face. "I'm not going to have you live like that. Stay with the Yeagers- I believe that they're your relatives." Valerie opened her mouth to protest, but he placed his finger on her lips. "Valerie, listen to me just this once. I want you to be safe. Please do this."

Valerie sighed and looked deep into his eyes, searching for any sign that he might be able to be convinced to let her stay with him. Needless to say, she found none. She sighed again. "Promise that you'll come back for me when this whole thing blows over," she said.

He leaned in and gave her a long kiss, knowing that it might be the last that he would get for a while. "I promise," he murmured, forehead leaning against hers. "I'll always come back for you, Valerie."


	33. Chapter 33

In about half an hour, the Autobots and Valerie were preparing to take off and disappear. Lennox had found an intact Honda that had its keys in the engine, so Valerie was going to take the car and drive to an address in Texas that Lennox had told her belonged to the Yeager farm.

"What about you?" Valerie asked Lennox as he passed her the keys.

A troubled expression flashed across his face, but it was gone in a second. "We'll be fine," he told her. "Get going."

Valerie glanced at everyone standing behind Lennox. Sam, Carly, and Epps were right at his shoulder, and behind them were Epps's friends. Further behind them were the troops that had come in with Lennox. The Autobots were all in holoform (an unexpected honor; they had done it to see her off) and all surrounding her. Unexpected tears formed in her eyes. "I can't leave you guys," she said. "I can't take off."

Lennox shook his head. "Valerie, go," he ordered. "We all agree on this. We don't want you to have the life that we'll be living; we're going to be on the run, fugitives."

Optimus placed his hand on her shoulder. "Valerie, please," he pleaded. "Go. You deserve the best life that you can get, and you're not going to get that with us."

She shook her head stubbornly. "I belong by your side, Optimus," she told him. "But all of us deserve a good life! Why send me away?"

"Because we care about you, dammit," Optimus growled, anger flashing in his eyes. "Valerie, this decision wasn't easy. Do you know how tempting it is to pick you up and drive away right now, just the two of us? I want it, Valerie; I want it bad." He took a deep breath and seemed to get himself under control. "But it's not what's best for you."

Her temper flared. "Optimus, only cowards run!" she argued. "And if there's one thing that I'm sure that you've learned about me in five years, it's that I'm not a coward! I'm not going to stand aside while you're in danger!"

Optimus cut her off by smashing his lips to hers. She kissed him back, and Lennox grimaced while Epps rolled his eyes. After a few seconds, he pulled away. "Please," he murmured. "Please, for my sake. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if you died."

Before she could reply, there was the distant sound of helicopters. Lennox's head snapped up. "C- 17's," he announced. "The government's coming. You have to go. Now." Valerie was about to protest even more, but Lennox cut her off. "Valerie, go. I'm dead serious." He passed her a folder. "This has info on the Yeager family." She took the folder with a grateful nod.

Valerie then leaned towards Optimus and pulled him by the collar of his shirt down, giving him a long kiss. "Come back alive," she told him.

Optimus nodded. "I will," he said, and she jumped into the car. "Wait, Valerie!" She turned to look at him and saw that he was holding a necklace with an Autobot symbol on it. He passed it to her. "Don't let anybody see it, but it's a communicator. I'll be able to reach you through my radio through this, but I won't be able to do it often; it can be tracked." She nodded and slipped it over her neck. "Now drive. Drive and don't look back." She nodded and drove away as fast as she could.

His gaze followed the car until it disappeared.

A few hours later, Valerie arrived at St. Louis, Missouri and stopped at a grocery store to get some supplies. Or, at least, that was what she told herself. In reality, she needed her mind to be thinking about something. For the last few hours, she had been stubbornly trying to keep her mind off of Optimus, the Autobots, Lennox, and Epps. She didn't even know if they were alive now; when she had left, the government had been converging on the area. Whenever she thought about it, she was filled with self-loathing; how could she have left them there? She could have helped defend them instead of running away and saving her own skin. She was a coward.

Everyone in the store gave her strange looks as she walked past them; part of the reason was probably her hair, but it was probably mostly because she hadn't had a chance to freshen up since Chicago. Needless to say, the first thing she grabbed was clothes. Her next stop was the food aisle; she didn't want to have to stop too much on the way to the Yeager's farm, so she wanted to buy enough food to last the rest of the trip.

After she bought her supplies (using cash, since it wasn't traceable), she went to the bathroom and changed into the clothes, dumping her old ones into the trash. Once she had freshened up her appearance, she headed back to the car and opened the file that Lennox had given her about the Yeagers.

The famous relative that Valerie had heard so much about was named Emily. She was the second cousin of Valerie's father and had married Cade Yeager. Together, they had a daughter named Tessa. Valerie focused on the picture of Tessa. She was a twelve year old girl. A twelve year old girl who had so much power... Valerie would have to watch her.

A loose leaf paper fluttered out of the folder and to the ground. Valerie picked it up and saw that multiple people had written small messages to her. She had no clue how they had gotten all that together since she hadn't announced that she was going to live with the Yeagers until the last minute.

" _Valerie- You're such_ _a_ _brave_ _girl, and_ _I'm_ _sure_ _that_ _your_ _father_ _would_ _be extremely proud_ _of_ _you. Don't_ _cause_ _the_ _Yeagers_ _too_ _much_ _trouble. And be safe. -Uncle_ _Will_  
 _"Valerie- Just_ _because_ _you're_ _not_ _on_ _base_ _doesn't_ _mean_ _you_ _can't_ _keep_ _training_ _and_ _working_ _out. The_ _first_ _thing_ _that_ _I'm_ _going_ _to_ _do_ _when_ _I_ _see_ _you_ _again_ _is_ _to_ _make_ _sure_ _that_ _you're_ _still_ _in_ _tiptop condition. And_ _remember_ _to_ _be_ _safe. -Uncle_ _Rob_  
 _"Little_ _Lady-_ _You've_ _changed_ _since_ _the_ _first_ _time_ _I_ _went_ _to_ _the_ _Wickity's_ _house_ _to_ _get the kid. You've_ _matured_ _into_ _a_ _beautiful_ _young_ _lady, and_ _I_ _was_ _fortunate_ _to_ _be_ _able_ _to_ _watch_ _that. Don't_ _get_ _into_ _too_ _much_ _trouble, and_ _watch_ _your_ _back. -Simmons_  
 _"Val- We're_ _probably_ _not_ _going_ _to_ _see_ _each_ _other_ _for_ _a_ _while (if_ _we_ _ever meet again) so I_ _want_ _to_ _thank_ _you_ _for_ _being_ _such_ _a_ _good_ _friend_ _to_ _me_ _for_ _all_ _those_ _years. Remember to be safe, and don't get into trouble. And, for_ _the_ _record, my_ _ancestor_ _is_ _still_ _better. -Sam."_

There were quite a few more notes on the paper. Carly, Mearing, and each of the Autobots left a message, and each of them mostly said the same thing- to be careful and to stay out of trouble.

Valerie reached the last note, and when she read it, her eyes filled with tears. It was from Optimus.

 _"Valerie- No matter_ _what_ _happens_ _from_ _now_ _to_ _the_ _time_ _that_ _we_ _meet_ _again, you'll_ _always_ _have_ _my_ _heart. You're_ _my_ _conjunx_ _endura, and_ _I'm_ _yours, so however big the distance_ _is_ _between_ _us, we'll_ _always_ _be_ _together. I'll_ _love_ _you_ _to_ _the_ _end_ _of_ _time-_ _Optimus._ "

For a few seconds, Valerie couldn't speak. She stared at Optimus's note, tears rolling down her cheeks. Emotions flowed through her; curiosity about the Yeagers, shame at leaving the Autobots, longing to be back with her friends, and most of all, love for Optimus.

Then Valerie started the car and drove to Texas.

XXX

Valerie climbed out of her car and glanced speculatively at the Yeager's farm. It was nothing like she'd expected. There was a two story house with a porch, and there was a big barn a few yards away. Both looked a little rundown. She wondered how she was going to be able to live here, in the middle of nowhere, for however many years she would have to. She had never exactly been a country person, and it was definitely going to be hard to adjust. Well, that was if Cade let her stay with them; she hadn't exactly told him that she was coming.

She walked up to the door and took a deep breath before knocking. Instantly, a small robotic dog burst out of the doors. " _Intruder alert! Intruder alert_!" it announced. " _Calling 911_!"

"Uh, hello?" Valerie called into the house, ignoring the dog and his threats to call the cops. "Is there a Cade Yeager in here?"

There was a sudden bang from the barn, and Valerie turned to see a man walking out of the barn with a baseball bat in his hand. That reminded her of the time that Simmons and the other S7 agents had come to the Witwicky's house and Mrs. Witwicky had threatened them with her bat when they ripped up her rosebushes, and a bittersweet feeling came over her at that memory. "Who are you?" the man demanded.

Valerie looked him up and down. "Cade Yeager?" she asked. He nodded warily, and she stuck her hand out. "I'm Valerie. Valerie Hudson. We have some stuff to talk about."

A few minutes later, she was sitting in the family room of the Yeager house. Cade entered the room, two cups of coffee in his hands. He passed one to Valerie, and she took it gratefully; she had only had one stop throughout the whole journey from Chicago, Illinois to Middle of Nowhere, Texas. "Sorry about the bat," Cade apologized. "I thought that you were the sister of the guy who collects the payments for the land."

She frowned. "Why would she be coming here?" she replied.

Cade instantly looked uncomfortable. "Sometimes the bills are late," he told her, and Valerie instantly knew what he meant; he was having money problems. "So what brings you here?"

Valerie sighed. "I'm distantly related to you," she said. "My dad was the cousin of your wife. You're my only relative left, since my parents died and they both didn't have any siblings, so I was hoping that I could stay with you for a while?" For a few seconds, Cade didn't reply. It didn't seem like he wanted to be responsible for her, so Valerie started talking again. "I'll pay rent. I'll buy my own food. I just need a place to sleep in. I know that I kinda just sprung this on you, but..."

"Does this have anything to do with Chicago?" he asked, focusing on stirring his coffee.

She instantly stiffened. He was smarter than he had let on. "Yes," she answered stiffly. "It does. My parents died in the attack."

Cade nodded and looked her in the eye. "You can stay," he told her.

A relieved smile spread across her face. "Thank you," she said. "I'll pay three hundred a month. Is that good with you?" He nodded, obviously thinking about what he could do with three hundred a month. "I'll do some chores around the house if you want."

He nodded. "That's good," he agreed. "I'll have my daughter show you to your room." He turned to the stairs. "Tessa! Can you come down here?"

There was the sound of footsteps from upstairs, and soon a blonde tween was standing in the doorway. She looked about twelve years old. The instant she saw Valerie, her eyes widened, and Valerie had a feeling that she knew why; the girl had the Hudson powers, so she could sense the Transformium that was in Valerie's pocket.

Cade spoke. "Tessa, this is Valerie," he told her. "She's a relative, and she just lost her parents in the Battle of Chicago, so she's going to be staying here with us for a while."

Tessa looked speculative. "Dad, are you sure this is a good idea?" she asked. Valerie instantly understood how this family functioned; Tessa was the one who took care of Cade, not the other way around.

He nodded. "She's paying rent," he answered. "Go show her to the guest room."

She turned to Valerie. "C'mon," she said, and Valerie stood, swinging her duffel bag over her shoulder. Tessa climbed the stairs, and Valerie followed her as she showed her to her room. Tessa opened the door to the room and stepped aside, giving Valerie a clear view of the room.

It had two windows, one facing to the front of the property and the other facing to the barn. The two windows combined let in a lot of sunlight, so the room was bright. The bed was in the corner where the two sides of the room with the windows touched, and there was a desk opposite of the bed. There was also a dresser and a bookshelf with a few books in it.

Valerie turned to Tessa. "Thanks," she told her, not sure if she should bring up the fact that Tessa could sense the Transformium. Tessa nodded and was about to leave. "Wait," Valerie called, and Tessa turned around. "Do you know any good hangouts around here?" If she was going to spend a while in this middle-of-nowhere town in Texas, she might as well try to find people her own age.

Tessa hesitated, thinking. "There's a place in town," she finally said. "The Diner. A lot of teens go there at night and hang out."

She nodded. "Thanks," she replied. Tessa left the room, and Valerie sighed, falling down on the bed and closing her eyes. Instantly, the memories of leaving Chicago came back. Why had she left? She didn't even know if Optimus had survived the attack! She was a coward for running away.  
Her hand twisted the gear that was on her finger. It and the necklace were the only momentos that she had of the Autobots now. She took a deep breath, thinking about how living and training with the Autobots and the N.E.S.T. soldiers had changed her. She learned military strategies, been in war zones, participated in battles, fell in love, and matured a bit. The discovery of the Autobots had definitely changed her life.  
But now that they were gone, her life would have to change again.


	34. Chapter 34

The next morning, Valerie climbed down the stairs to the small, cramped kitchen of the Yeager's. She had spent a lot of time crying about leaving Optimus last night, and she was sure that either Cade or Tessa had heard her. But when she entered the kitchen, none of them said anything to her about it. Valerie assumed that they thought she was crying about her parent's deaths in Chicago, which was the cover story that she had made up, and she wasn't going to say anything to correct them.

She sat down at the table next to Cade. "Can I have one of these?" she asked Cade, gesturing to the pile of pancakes in the middle of the table. He nodded, and she pulled some onto her plate. "Thanks." He nodded again.

For a few seconds, nobody at the table spoke. It was a tense silence, and Valerie had a feeling that both Cade and Tessa didn't know what to make of her, the relative that had appeared out of the blue.

Tessa spoke, breaking the silence. "So, Valerie, why don't you tell us a bit about yourself?" she asked.

Valerie nodded. "So. Um, I graduated high school about four years ago," she told them. "I was in all AP classes. And after high school... I went to college." She paused. "My college was Harvard." She was stretching the truth with that one, but she had been taught by Harvard professors.

Cade interrupted. "You must have been pretty damn smart to get into Harvard," he commented. Valerie nodded. "What was your major?"

Well, that was one answer that she didn't need to lie about. "Mechanical engineering," she answered. She remembered why she had decided to do that; she had wanted to be able to help the Autobots if they were injured, and besides, she already knew a bit about it from Ratchet, Jolt, and Wheeljack had taught her.

He nodded. "Interesting," he muttered. "I'm an inventor. Maybe we can work together on some projects."

Valerie raised an eyebrow. "Like that dog in the front door?" she asked.

Cade chuckled. "Like that dog in the front door," he agreed.

She nodded. "I'd like that," she told him. He gestured for her to continue her story. "Yeah... and after that, I worked with machines for a few years." Again, she was stretching the truth; the Autobots were, in the loosest definition, machines. "Then the Battle of Chicago happened. And I came here."

Once again, the room fell into silence. After a while, Tessa spoke again. "Dad, would you mind if I go to Ben's house today?" she asked. "We have a project to work on."

Cade turned to her. "A boy?" he wondered. She nodded. "No."

Tessa glared. "Dad, we need to get the science project done," she said.

He sighed. "Tessa, we talked about this," he reminded her. "No boys until you're-"

"-eighteen," she continued in the tone of one who had repeated it multiple times. "Yes, Dad, I know. But it's a science project. I don't like him, and it's not a date. We need to finish this project."

Cade sighed. "Only if you have parental supervision," he grudgingly agreed. "I was planning on getting some work done, but I'll drive you."

Valerie leaned forward. "Or not," she said. "I could take her, if you want. It's not like I had anything planned for today, anyway."

For a few seconds, Cade hesitated. He clearly still wasn't sure if he could trust Valerie or not, which she thought was stupid, since he had accepted her into his house. But she didn't speak, just waiting for him to make his decision.

Finally, he spoke. "Tessa knows how to get to Ben's house," he told her. "She'll give you the directions. Drop her off and make sure that Ben's parents will bring her back."

She nodded and stood up, reaching for her car keys. "C'mon, Tessa. I sure hope you're good at giving directions."

A few minutes later, Tessa was sitting in the backseat of Valerie's Honda, telling Valerie when to turn and pointing out a few landmarks. Valerie did her best to memorize them, knowing full well that this small town was going to be her home for a while.

And, of course, that brought her train of thoughts to Optimus. She missed him more than she ever imagined was possible. It was even worse than when he had died three years ago; now, she wasn't sure if she was dead or alive. She hoped with all her heart that he was. If not... she couldn't even think about it.

Optimus, the competent and skilled soldier. Optimus, the brave and fearless leader. Optimus, the wise and compassionate friend. Optimus, the shoulder that she could cry on. Optimus, the one who she knew would always listen. Ever since they had met five years ago, he had been a constant presence in her life. He had always tried harder than was healthy to do what was best for her.

Unfortunately, that involved sending her away.

She remembered what he had told her the last time that she had seen him. " _Do_ _you_ _know_ _how_ _tempting_ _it_ _is_ _to_ _pick_ _you_ _up_ _and_ _drive_ _away_ _right_ _now, just_ _the_ _two_ _of_ _us? I_ _want_ _it, Valerie; I_ _want_ _it_ _bad. But_ _it's_ _not_ _what's_ _best_ _for_ _you._ " Such Optimus reasoning.

He always made the sacrifices that others weren't strong enough to. He sent her away so that she would live, even though he knew that both of them would feel their separation keenly every day that they were apart.

Tessa's voice interrupted Valerie's thoughts. "Turn right here," she said, and Valerie saw that to their right, there was a long driveway that led up to a house. Next to the driveway, there was a mailbox labeled "The Douglases." Valerie turned into the driveway and pulled up to the house. It was going to take her a while to get used to the Ling driveways.

She got out of the car, and Tessa followed. The two of them walked up to the door, and Tessa rang the doorbell. A few seconds later, the door was opened by a middle-aged lady. A boy that Valerie assumed was Ben was standing behind her.

For a few seconds, Mrs. Douglas and Ben stared at Valerie, probably wondering who she was. Valerie waited for them to speak. Finally, Mrs. Douglas spoke. "Are you new to town?" she asked in a sickly sweet tone.

Valerie could instantly tell that Mrs. Douglas was the community mom type person who stuck her nose into everyone's business. She made a mental note to avoid Mrs. Douglas. "Yeah," she answered. "I'm a distant relative of Cade and Tessa's."

Mrs. Douglas nodded. "Well, I'm Ben's mother," she said as if that wasn't obvious. "Ben and Tessa are classmates."

Not impressed, Valerie raised an eyebrow. "I couldn't tell," she commented sarcastically, causing Ben and Tessa to laugh.

Despite the reaction from the kids, Mrs. Douglas didn't seem to have comprehended the sarcasm. "Yes, well, they're both in seventh grade," she told Valerie. "Call me Shirley."

Shirley held out her hand for Valerie to shake, apparently awaiting an introduction. Valerie, however, didn't stick out her hand or introduce herself. Instead, she just nodded. "Ok, _Shirley_ ," she replied. "I'm gonna head back to the Yeager farm. Do me a favor and drop Tessa back off at the farm when they're done."

Without another word, Valerie turned on her heel and headed back to her car. She drove off, careful to shoot a cloud of dust in the direction of Mrs. Douglas as she did.

About half an hour later, Valerie had returned from dropping Tessa off at Ben's house. She assumed that Cade was in the barn and headed inside. She paused when she saw the place; it was a mess. A whole bunch of pieces of... everything were scattered around the place, on tables, on the ground. Cade was in the middle of the mess, and he was tinkering with some piece of machinery. "Cade?" Valerie asked.

He glanced up from his work. "Valerie? What are you doing here?"

She made her way to Cade, stepping around all the junk. "I was coming to see what you were doing," she said. "So you're fixing other people's stuff?"

Cade nodded. "And making my own inventions," he added.

Valerie sat down next to him. "Cool," she told him. "Need help?" He nodded again , warily watching her, and she picked up a nearby video recorder. She glanced at it and started twiddling with some of the gears. After a few minutes, she passed it to Cade. Cade turned it on, and sure enough, it worked.

He nodded appreciatively. "Good job," he commented. "How about you help me fix some of the stuff here?"  
For the next few hours, Valerie stayed in the barn with Cade, talking while she helped him. She learned that Tessa was everything to Cade; everything that he did was for her. From the tone in his voice and his expression, Valerie could tell that Tessa was extremely similar to her mother, and Cade tried to keep Emily alive by taking care of Tessa.

After a while, Ben's dad brought Tessa back home. Valerie hung out with Tessa for a little bit, and she learned that Tessa wanted the freedom that her father didn't give her. Valerie wasn't quite sure what to make of the family disagreement.

A few more days passed, and Valerie was beginning to understand how the Yeager farm operated ands get the feel of Tessa and Cade's personalities. It was going to take her a little while to get into the swing of things and to find out where her puzzle piece fit into the jigsaw puzzle that made up the Yeager family, but she was willing to wait for that to happen.

It felt strange living a civilian life after five years of training with the Autobots. Even though she did pushups and sit-ups and practiced martial arts every day, she couldn't whip out her Transformium and practice her shooting. It was too _bland_ ; there was no thrill, no risk.

Maybe that was why she decided to go to the Diner one night.

Just like Tessa had said, of was full of teenagers and young adults. Most of them were gathered around a center table in the middle of the diner, making a ruckus. Valerie could fit right in with them if she wanted to.

She glanced around The Diner. It looked like a regular diner straight out of the 80's, with checkered floors and red booths. Valerie slid into a booth in the corner, away from the ruckus that the other people were making. Instantly, a waitress came up to her. "Do you want to order anything?" the waitress asked.

"Coffee, please," Valerie answered. She gestured to the people in the middle of the diner. "Are they here every night?"

The waitress nodded. "Every night," she told her. "I'll be right back with your coffee."

For a few minutes, Valerie watched the group in silence. Then a guy sat down in the booth that she was sitting in, right across from her. She glanced up and saw a teen boy in front of her. "I was just checking out your car," he said with a slight Irish accent.

Valerie raised her eyebrow. "What about it?" she asked.

He shrugged. "It's a pretty good make," he answered. "For a Honda, I mean. Racecars could beat that thing any day."

She scoffed. "It all depends on the driver," she told him.

The guy shook his head. "But mostly on the car," he argued. He stuck out his hand. "Shane Dyson. I'm gonna be a professional race car driver when I'm out of school."

Valerie shook his hand. "I'm Valerie," she introduced herself. Then an idea came to her about how to get a thrill out of a normal civilian life. "I have some experience with driving. Wanna race?"

A few minutes later, Valerie was in her Honda. Shane was next to her in his old BMW, which he had told her he was going to ditch for a Chevrolet Sonic RS when he had enough money. But for now, he was driving a BMW.

Shane had gathered some of his friends, and they had been able to (illegally) block off a few blocks for Valerie and Shane to race. A few of Shane's friend wanted to race, too, sol five cars were now at the starting line, a few streets away from the Diner. The other teens who had been in the Diner had decided to come out to watch the race, too, and Valerie could have sworn that she saw some money being passed around.

"Ready!" a teenage girl shouted. She was standing in front of Valerie's and Shane's cars, right in the middle of them so that she wouldn't get hit when they started their cars. The racers revved their engines to show her that they were ready. "Set!" They revved their engines again. "Go!"

They all took off. After about driving for two feet, a silver car collided with a blue car, and they went swerving to the side. Valerie sped up so that she would avoid being hit by the two out-of-control cars, thinking grimly about what Optimus would say about her doing such a dangerous sport. But she needed the risk, needed the adrenaline rush. It had been too long since she had had a true thrill that sent her heart beating in excitement and making her feel alive.

Shane's BMW was slightly ahead of her, but she knew that if she really wanted to, she could pull in front of him. But since she didn't know the course well, she let him stay in the lead. She would pull ahead of him when the finish line was in sight.

Meanwhile, the third car, a tan Toyota, was right behind Valerie. He tried to cut into the left lane and get around her, but she cut, as well, blocking him off. Shane sped up, and Valerie pushed down in the gas pedal, as well, keeping pace with him. The Toyota was left behind.

Shane made a sharp turn, and Valerie let out a curse, almost missing it. However, she quickly drifted and made the turn, almost crashing into the opposite curb. The Toyota caught up to her, and for a block, they drove neck to neck, the Toyota to the right. Up in front of them, Shane turned left. Since Valerie was on the left side, she was able to turn, hugging the curb. However, the Toyota had to make a wide turn, putting Valerie in front of him again.

Valerie sped up, gaining on Shane. He saw and increased his speed, causing him to almost miss a turn and have to drift, like Valerie had done a few minutes ago. However, Valerie had been expecting the turn and made a sharp turn instead of going wide like Shane had, placing the two of them neck to neck. Valerie had no clue where the Toyota was, but she didn't care; she was too caught up on the moment, focusing on each turn, each movement.

After a few more tricky turns, the finish line was in sight. Valerie and Shane were still neck to neck, each one trying to burst ahead but the other not allowing it. It seemed like there was going to be a tie, and the finish line slowly creeped towards them.

Then the Toyota somehow caught up to them when they were about two blocks away from the finish line. He tried to squeeze into the narrow space between Shane and Valerie's cars, and Shane swerved away before the Toyota could accidentally ram into him, causing him to slow down. If the Toyota had been faster, he might have been able to get in front of Shane and next to Valerie, but the car didn't have enough speed. Shane and the Toyota were right behind Valerie, both of them neck to neck. Valerie, however, was clearly in the lead.

Shane tried to pull ahead of the Toyota and get next to Valerie, but the Toyota suddenly swerved out of control. Shane had to slow down, letting the Toyota swerve out of the road in front of him. The Toyota rammed into a dumpster, and Shane pulled ahead, once again trying to catch up to Valerie. But slowing down to avoid getting rammed into by the Toyota had cost him. Valerie was too far ahead.

Valerie sped across the finish line, and Shane followed, a second behind her. They pulled to a stop, and instantly the crowd of teenagers instantly surrounded them, shouting congratulations. Valerie and Shane opened their doors at the same time, climbing out of the cars and heading towards each other.

She stuck out her hand. "Good race," she said.

Shane shook it. "Good race," he replied. He gave her a cocky smile. "Next time we're racing, I'll be certain to call you up."

Valerie didn't know what to make of Shane, but she knew one thing for sure- she had just made her first friend in Texas.


	35. Chapter 35

Three Years Later

Valerie was just about to head out of her house when her phone beeped. She pulled it out of her pocket and read the text. It was from Shane. " _Did u leave ur house yet?_ " he had asked.

She frowned, wondering why he would want to know that. She wasn't even late; she was headingn to one of the mini rally races that Shane and some other racers had set up, just like she had gotten into the habit of for the past three years. " _No_ ," she texted back. " _Y?_ "

He responded in a second. " _My navigator is sick, so he's not coming tonight,_ " he answered. " _Was wondering if u could bring someone to sub._ "

Valerie stared at her phone in disbelief for a few seconds. Shane wanted her to bring a navigator? Who did he think she was, a person who had friends galore? She hadn't socialized much with the locals in Texas; her only friends were Shane, her navigator Deanna, a few other racers, Cade, and... Tessa.

She headed upstairs. "Hey, Tessa!" she called, still climbing the stairs.

Tessa opened the door and stuck her head out of her room. "Yeah?" she responded. "What's up?"

Valerie reached the top of the stairs and walked up to Tessa's door. "Are you doing anything tonight?" she asked. Tessa shook her head, and Valerie grinned. "Up for some action?"

Tessa raised an eyebrow. "What type of action?" she said warily, knowing what Valerie was capable of thinking up.

She shrugged. "Oh, just some car racing," she answered. "A friend of mine needed a navigator, and you came to mind. You in?"

Tessa jumped up. "Definitely," she agreed. "And not a word to Dad."

She nodded. "Not a word to Cade," she repeated. "Unless we want to end up skinned alive."

A few minutes late, the two of them were in Valerie's flashy BMW (she had junked her Honda about a year ago) and driving towards the location that Shane had given her for the race. Valerie was attempting to explain the modifications that their group had made to rally racing.

"Basically it's a regular race, you know, each car for itself," she was saying. "But we have some elements from the rally-race: it's a long and dangerous track, and the drivers can't practice on it. The navigator is the one who tells the driver what's coming next on the course."

Tessa nodded. "Ok, I think I got that," she said, sounding a little nervous.

Valerie rolled her eyes at Tessa's tone. "You'll be fine," he reassured her. "Remember three years ago when you told me how to get to Ben's house? You gave me such good directions that I didn't get lost once. Being the navigator in rally racing is basically the same thing, except you can die if the driver is going at the wrong speed on a turn." Tessa gave her a look that told her that she wasn't being very helpful.

Thinking about her first days in Texas reminded Valerie of how much she had changed since she had first driven up to the Yeager's farm. She had gotten used to living in the middle of nowhere. She had raced a lot more and had the reputation of always being in the top three finishers for every race. From racing, she had gotten a lot of friends and, when she decided to bet on the winner, a lot of money.

He ties with Cade and Tessa had strengthened, too. Valerie helped out Cade in his barn a lot and had even helped him with a few of his inventions; the robotic dog at the door recognized people twenty five percent of the time, and the machine that brought beer to you moved about six feet before breaking down. It didn't seem like much, but it was better than it had been when it started. Valerie and Tessa had formed a sisterly relationship; whenever Tessa had a problem, she talked it over with Valerie, who did her best to try to help.

Despite her new life, Valerie still missed the Autobots. She would do anything to see one of them or sense a piece of Transformium besides the one that she still carried in her pocket. If she just had a reminder that they were actually real... any reminder, even if it was Megatron. She could deal with Megatron, but being alone was something else.

After about half an hour, Valerie and Tessa reached the track. It was a windy road that curved sharply around hills. Valerie frowned, knowing that the course was going to be tricky. It didn't help that it had rained earlier in the day, so the road was going to be a little slippery. Well, if Valerie would have trouble, so would everyone else.

"Who's the newbie?" a voice asked as Valerie and Tessa climbed out of the BMW. Valerie turned to see Deanna standing there with a grin on her face.

Valerie pulled her into a quick hug. "Tessa," she answered. "She's subbing for Shane's navigator."

Deanna raised an eyebrow. "You must be pretty good for Shane to ask for you," she commented.

"He didn't," Valerie corrected. "He told me to get someone for him, so I picked Tessa." Valerie smirked. "Honestly, if we haven't been friends for three years, D, I would take Tessa over you."

Before Deanna could retort, Shane walked up to them. "Hey, Val!" he shouted, and the three girls turned to him. "Did you get me a..." He trailed off when he saw Tessa. "...navigator," he finished, sounding shocked. The two of them stared at each other for a few seconds. Valerie's gaze went from Shane to Tessa before cracking up, breaking the spell and causing both of them to turn red. "Who's this?" Shane finally asked, trying to move off of the awkward moment.

Valerie answered. "Tessa," she told Shane. "She's the best navigator there is."

Shane raised an eyebrow. "Really?" he asked. "How many races has she been in?"

"I'm sorry," Tessa interrupted with an annoyed tone in her voice. "I didn't know that I had to have a racing background."

After hearing what Tessa had said, Shane turned to Valerie incredulously. "You're giving me a newbie?" he demanded. "A newbie? Seriously, Val. I thought you knew better than that."

Tessa crossed her arms and glared at Shane. "Oh, so now nobody wants me because I haven't been in a race?" she challenged. "That's nice. I'm here doing you a favor, Irish Boy, so it's either me or you don't race."

It seemed like Shane was going to retort, but Valerie interrupted. "Okay, how about we all calm down here," she suggested. Both of them turned to her with almost identical glares on their faces. But Valerie had faced down Decepticons; two angry teens didn't bother her. "Shane, Tessa's good at giving directions, even though she hasn't raced before. You want her as a navigator. And she has a point- you don't have any other navigator to take her place."

For a few seconds, Shane was quiet, looking from Valerie to Tessa. Then he sighed. "Fine," he agreed unwillingly. "Fine. But if I lose because of her..."

Valerie raised an eyebrow. "And if you win?" she challenged. Shane didn't have an answer, and Valerie smirked. "C'mon, Deanna. Let's get ready for the race."

A few minutes later, Valerie's BMW was lined up next to Shane's new Chevrolet, the dream car that he had wanted. Shane and Tessa seemed to be having an argument in Shane's car, and Valerie watched with an amused expression. Deanna, sitting in the passenger seat of Valerie's car, raised an eyebrow. "You're just going to watch them argue?" she asked.

Valerie shrugged. "They're not toddlers," she answered. "They'll figure out a solution when the race starts and they have to depend on each other."

"Ready!" one of Valerie's new friends, Karen, shouted. Valerie, Shane, and the other three cars revved their engines. "Set!" Another tremendous roar of the engines. "GO!"

The cars took off, and Valerie and Shane instantly took the lead. "Sharp turn coming up in twenty yards!" Deanna warned, reading the course manual that she was holding. "To the right! It's about twenty-five degrees!"

Valerie grit her teeth as she slowed down, turning carefully so that she didn't skid off the edge. Behind her, she heard a screech of tires as Shane almost drove straight off the turn but braked and turned into the turn in time. She could picture Shane shouting at Tessa for being careless about giving him the directions.

Deanna spoke again. "Wide left turn, one hundred fifty degrees," she reported. "In twenty yards." Valerie made the turn with ease, barely slowing down. She assumed that Tessa had gotten better at giving directions, because Shane didn't drive straight off the road this time. It seemed like he and Tessa were getting used to each other, but there was no way that he could catch back up to Valerie after his near-catastrophe with the first turn.

A few turns later, Valerie was still in the lead, and Shane was wrestling for second place with a silver Hyundai. She wasn't sure if the other two cars had crashed or were just farther behind the three of them, but she didn't care. "Three-sixty turn!" Deanna shouted panickedly. "Coming up in fifty yards."

"What?" Valerie demanded. "What the hell is a three-sixty degree turn?"

Deanna's eyes widened, and she pointed ahead of them. "That!" she replied, fear clear in her voice.

Valerie turned to see what Deanna was talking about. There was a circle in the road ahead of them, but it wasn't easy; the road was extremely narrow and only barely had enough room for the width of one car. Also, on the side of the circle that was facing the outside of the hill, there weren't any rails.

Instantly, Valerie hit the brakes, slowing the car. When they reached the beginning of the circle, they were practically stopped. Valerie took a deep breath and glanced behind her. Shane and the Hyundai were still fighting for second place and nearing the three-sixty turn. But by the time they reached the circle, they would have to have someone in the lead, or else neither of them would get past the circle.

She started easing the car forward, moving forward slowly and making sure that she wasn't too close to the edge, which would result in her falling off the hill. Next to her, Deanna seemed to be petrified in terror, but Valerie was loving the thrill. Even though it wasn't the exact same thing as fighting Decepticons, it still got her heart beating and adrenaline rushing through her veins. Whenever she was in a dangerous racing situation, she felt _alive_ ; she could sense the smallest movement, knew where the other racers were, and was focused whole-heartedly on the race. No other thought invaded her mind, not even the ones of Optimus.

When Valerie was about halfway around the circle, Shane had entered the entrance of the circle. He had somehow gotten ahead of the Hyundai and was now easing his way around the circle at about the same speed as Valerie. She could tell that he was nervous about attempting the turn. Maybe it was because Tessa was in the car with him, since Valerie had never known Shane to take turns as cautiously as he was now.

Valerie reached the three quarter mark of the circle. "D, what's up after this turn?" Valerie asked.

Deanna didn't reply right away, and Valerie turned to see that Deanna was still scared. Valerie nudged Deanna, which seemed to cause her to pull it back together. Deanna glanced down at the booklet in her lap. "Forty five degree turn to the left," she said.

A few minutes later, Valerie was neck to neck with Shane. The finish line was in sight, and at that moment, it didn't seem like either one of them could pull ahead. Behind them, a blue Camaro had caught up and was trying to get ahead of both of them, but Valerie and Shane worked as a team to block the Camaro from getting in front of them; it was okay if one of them won, but it wasn't okay if somebody else did.

Valerie and Shane had just finished doing a tricky maneuver which involved driving horizontally when they crossed the finish line at the same time, the Camaro right behind them. Deanna let out a sigh of relief as Valerie pressed on the brakes, slowing the car. A little bit after the Camaro, the silver Hyundai that had been giving Shane some problems before crossed the line, and after him, a hunter green Mercedes that Valerie hadn't even known was on the course with them.

"Woo-hoo!" Deanna shouted, throwing her hands up in the air and letting out a whoop. She rolled down her window. "We beat you!"

Shane chuckled as he and Tessa climbed out of his car. Valerie and Shane walked up to each other and shook hands. "Good race, Dyson," Valerie said.

"Good race, Val," Shane agreed. He gestured to Tessa. "You made a good call with the navigator. She did good." Tessa seemed to glow at the comment.

Valerie smirked. "Told ya," she reminded him.

He rolled his eyes. "Don't rub it in, Val," he told her. "Just because you were right this one time-"

She interrupted. "One time?" she repeated incredulously. "One time? Seriously? How many times have I told you to watch your right side more while driving? The silver Hyundai almost got you there!"

It seemed like Shane was about to retort, but Tessa interrupted. "Hey, Val, bad news," she said. "Dad's wondering where we are."

Valerie groaned, hiding her face in her hands. "Shiiiiiit," she muttered.

Shane raised an eyebrow. "You came here without your parent's permission?" he asked.

The two girls ignored him. Valerie grabbed Tessa's wrist and pulled her towards her BMW. "Tell him we went to go see a movie," Valerie ordered Tessa. "Just the two of us. Make it clear that there weren't any boys there and that it was a harmless movie. A comedy or something." She climbed into the drivers seat of her car. "Shane, text me with the date of the next race."

She was about to take off when Shane knocked on the window of her door. She rolled down the window. "Bring Tessa for the next race," he told her. "I'd have her for my navigator any day." Valerie nodded and pulled away from Shane, heading at full speed back towards the Yeager's farm.

XXX

"Valerie!" Cade shouted from downstairs. "Someone's here to see you!"

Her head snapped up, turning away from the sketch of Optimus that she was drawing. Someone was here to see her? None of her friends would be dumb enough to come to the Yeager's house, because they would have to explain how they knew Valerie, and Valerie had clearly told them that Cade didn't approve of her racing. That left...

The Autobots.

Had they come to pick her up at last? She knew from watching the news every day that they hadn't stopped being hunted. So what had changed? Had they decided that she was safer with them, after all?

Valerie hurried down the stairs and into the living room, expecting to see Optimus in holoform standing there with Cade. But when she entered the room, there was a Spanish boy standing with his back to her. She felt a rush of disappointment; it wasn't the Autobots. It was just another Texan.

Cade noticed that she was there. "This young man here is visiting his grandparents that live fairly close, only a few houses away," he explained. Valerie scoffed; "a few houses away" in Texas speak was probably about a mile. "His grandparents sent him here since they knew that you're the same age as him." The Spanish boy turned around, and Valerie's jaw dropped open in recognition. "Valerie, meet..."

She finished for him. "Leo Spitz," she said.

Leo looked just as shocked as she was. "Valerie Hudson," he replied, an incredulous expression in his face. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with the-"

"You know, let's take this conversation somewhere else," she suggested before he could blurt out "Autobots" and let Cade know that she wasn't who she claimed to be.

However, Cade looked at each of them suspiciously. "Do you two know each other?" he asked.

Valerie nodded. "He was the college roommate of my best friend," she answered. "We were introduced a few years ago." Cade nodded, still eyeing them suspiciously. Valerie grabbed Leo's wrist and pulled him out of the house and to the tree that was in the Yeager's yard. "What are you doing here?" she demanded. "You disappeared off the face of the Earth after Egypt. Did you even care about what happened in D.C. and Chicago?"

Leo held up his hands. "Whoa, slow down, girl," he said. "First of all, I did not 'disappear off the face of the Earth.' I was in San Francisco. Second of all, of course I care about what happened in Chicago! Just because I didn't want to stick around and get my ass shot at by alien robots doesn't mean that you guys aren't my friends!"

She raised an eyebrow. "So basically you're saying you're a coward who puts his life above loyalty," she stated. For a second, Leo stared at her, considering her accusation. Then he nodded, even though he seemed ashamed. Valerie sighed. "That took some guts to admit that, Leo. I guess you're not too bad after all."

Two Years Later  
"Watch out!" Leo shouted to the actors onscreen as the vampire snuck up behind them and started attacking them. The actors let out shrieks of pain as the vampire bit them, and Leo threw up his hands in exasperation. "People need to learn how to look for danger!"

Valerie rolled her eyes. "It's a dumb movie, Leo," she said as she took a handful of the microwave popcorn that she and Leo were sharing. "I don't see why you want to watch these black-and-white horror movies. They're corny." Leo didn't respond, causing Valerie to roll her eyes again. She turned her attention back to the screen, where the vampire had just finished drinking the blood of a young woman.

Over the last two years, Valerie and Leo had grown closer and closer. To Valerie, Leo was her link to the Autobots; he had shared some experiences with her. Her memories of the Autobots stayed alive through him. He came to her in a time that she had felt that there was no way that the Autobots could have been real and that they were just her imagination. They were now best friends and spent most of their time together.

Now, they were at Leo's grandparents' house, watching an old vampire horror movie. It was probably the last time that Valerie would ever see him, since he was leaving Texas the next day. Valerie was dreading the day; once he left, her link to the Autobots would be gone, and without his class clown personality, she doubted that life would have much humor in it.

On a completely different note, Shane had become a professional race car driver and drove in rally races. Tessa was his navigator, even though Cade still knew nothing of it. The two of them had started dating a few months after they first met, and seeing them together reminded Valerie of how she and Optimus had been. It had been five long years since she had seen him last, and he hadn't even bothered to contact her through the Autobot symbol necklace that he had given her before she left Chicago.

Leo rolled his eyes at her. "Man, Valerie, you need to do things for fun for once." Then he grinned. "Hey, remember TheRealEffingDeal-dot-com? We should start something like that up again."

Valerie raised an eyebrow. "You really think I want to be part of a low-budget pathetic website?" she asked skeptically.

He glared. "Yo," he said. "Don't insult the website, dude." Valerie laughed.

There was a horrible shriek from the TV, and Valerie winced as the vampire attacked the small town. Then she tensed. The sounds from the movie covered it up, but Valerie could hear a muffled, weak voice coming from her Autobot symbol necklace.

" _Calling_ _all..._ _Calling_ _all_ _Autobots._ "

It was Optimus.


	36. Chapter 36

Valerie jumped up, almost knocking over the bowl of popcorn that was in the middle of her and Leo. "I need to go," she announced. She felt more alive than she had been for five years; hearing Optimus's voice again seemed to rejuvenate her.

A hurt look flickered on Leo's face. "But this is probably the last time we're going to see each other for a while, if ever," he reminded her. "I'm moving up to New York, and you're staying here in Texas."

She nodded, guilt instantly filling her. "I know, Leo," she said. "But this is really urgent." She placed her hands on his shoulders. "You know that I wouldn't do this unless I really had to, right?"

Leo's eyes searched hers, and she realized that he was dead serious. "It's the Autobots, isn't it?" he asked.

Valerie hesitated, knowing that if she was going to help the Autobots, she would be doing something illegal. It was a fact that she had been reminded of whenever she turned on the news or passed that giant stupid sign talking about remembering Chicago and turning in any Transformers. It was her own life that she was putting on the line if she went back to the Autobots. But if she told Leo what she was doing, he would be an accomplice in crime, even if he just kept her secret and moved to New York, like he was planning. "I can't tell you, Leo," she answered. "I'm sorry, but I can't."

He nodded, knowing what she was trying to do. "Good luck," he told her, drawing her into a hug. She hugged him back. "Now go and do what you have to."

She nodded. "I guess this is goodbye, then," she said. She pulled away from the hug and met his eyes. "See ya, Leo."

"See ya, Val," he agreed, and without another word, she turned and left Leo's house, the screams from the TV still ringing in her ears.

A few minutes later, Valerie had located the presence of Optimus; he was somewhere nearby in Texas. Since she hadn't used her powers for a while, she was a little rusty and could only tell that he was close to the Yeager's farm. She hoped that Cade was okay as she sped down the road to the area where she was pretty sure that Optimus was.

The Yeager farm was in sight when Valerie saw something burst out of the barn and hit the house. She slammed on the brakes and quickly turned into the mouth of the driveway before she passed it, and she realized then that Optimus was in Cade's barn. Valerie now wished that she hadn't gone to Leo's house for a sleepover; if she hadn't, she probably would have been there when Optimus somehow reached the Yeager farm and accidentally (she hoped) shot a missile into the house.

Valerie threw open the doors to the barn and took in the situation. Lucas was unconscious on the ground, Tessa was hanging back uncertainly, and Cade had his hands up in a calming gesture. But she only had eyes for the Transformer standing in the middle of the room, looking back at her.

A panicked look came over Cade's face. He was probably thinking that she was going to be angry about the destroyed barn or the Transformer standing in front of them. "Valerie, we can explain," he said. "I found a truck yesterday-"

Before he could finish, Valerie spoke. "Optimus?" she asked.

Cade's jaw dropped open. "You guys know each other?" he demanded, but Valerie and Optimus ignored him.

"It's me," Optimus confirmed, and Valerie instantly ran towards him. Optimus activated his holoform, hurrying towards Valerie. The two of them met and shared a long, tight hug. "I've missed you," Optimus murmured.

Valerie nodded, hugging him tighter. "I've missed you, too," she replied. She lifted her gaze to meet his eyes. "What happened to you? Why are you all..." She gestured to his Autobot body, which was all dusty and damaged.

Optimus's gaze hardened. "An ambush," he answered. "A trap. Set by humans. I escaped and took this form."

Tessa, who had been quiet for the past few minutes, spoke. "If you're on our side, why did the humans hurt you?" she asked.

He sighed. "They were not alone," he told her. "My Autobots can repair me. I need to go. I need to go now."

Cade raised an eyebrow. "How far do you think you can get?" he challenged. He knelt down and picked up a bit of Transformium that had fallen to the ground. "What about me?"

There was a second of silence as Optimus seemed to consider Cade's offer. "I think that will work," he finally said. He turned to Valerie. "Meanwhile, we have a lot of catching up to do."

Cade set to work examining Optimus's injured Autobot body as Optimus and Valerie explained to him how they knew each other and all that they had been through. The whole entire time, Optimus stayed in holoform, sitting on a bench next to Valerie with his arm wrapped around her waist. She leaned her head on his shoulder, drinking in his presence. It had been five long years that she hadn't been with him, and now that she was, she was going to stay there.

Optimus then started telling them about how he, the other Autobots, and the N.E.S.T. soldiers fled. He explained about what had happened in Mexico City and how he had been attacked, then hid out in the old movie theatre in Texas, where Cade had found him. He had wanted to come to Texas so that hopefully Valerie would be able to fix him up or keep him hidden from any Decepticons or humans, since she was the only one whose whereabouts he knew for certain.

Cade raised an eyebrow when he finished. "So you two are... engaged or something?" he said. Valerie nodded. "I was always wondering what that gear on your finger was."

Optimus raised an eyebrow. "You still have that?" he asked.

Valerie nodded. "Of course," she answered, holding up her hand to show him the gear.

He sighed. "That was just because there weren't any other rings there at the moment, and I knew how your society felt about rings," he said. He leaned forward and gave her a quick kiss. "I'll get you a proper ring when we're out of this mess."

She shrugged. "I think it's kinda cute," she told him.

Cade interrupted. "Okay, I'm going to ask Lucas to go get me some parts so that I can help fix you up," he informed them. He eyed them suspiciously. "Nothing inappropriate while I'm gone, okay?"

Valerie rolled her eyes. "Cade, we'll be fine," she sighed. "You don't need to worry over me like I'm your daughter- you have Tessa for that."

He rolled his eyes at her and turned, leaving the barn while shouting for Lucas. The second the door closed behind Cade, Optimus's lips were on Valerie's with a fiery passion. She kissed him back with just as much feeling, needing the feel of his lips against hers after five years of not seeing him.

"I've missed you," Optimus murmured through the kiss. "Five long years I've had to stay away from you..." He broke away from the kiss, and his blue eyes, filled with intense passion, locked with hers. "Never again will I let that happen."

She leaned in and continued the kiss. "Neither will I," she told him breathlessly. "Neither will I, Optimus." Optimus maneuvered both of their bodies so that she was laying on her back on the bench and he was on top of her, never breaking the kiss. Valerie breathed in sharply when she felt his hands slide under her shirt and meet the warm flesh of her waist.

However, before they could continue, they heard Cade heading back to the barn, and Optimus instantly sat up, pulling Valerie with him. "I've learned now how hard it is to be away from you, Valerie, and I know that from now on, we're never going to be apart," Optimus murmured into her ear just as Cade opened the door.

Cade didn't seem to realize that they had been up to anything, and he headed straight over to Optimus's body. "I'm going to start some things that I can do without the parts that Lucas is going to be bringing," Cade told them. He picked up a piece of Transformium that had fallen off of Optimus and dragged it up to his workspace. When he laid it where he wanted, he started working on it, doing small movements that Valerie couldn't catch from where she was sitting. "So, Valerie, I think you need to explain a bit about your real self, since apparently you've been lying to us since you came to my doorstep five years ago."

Optimus frowned at Cade's bitter tone, but Valerie placed a hand on his arm to calm him. She turned to Cade. "I told you that story to keep you safe," she said. "If the government knew that you were hosting me, a person who's clearly with the Autobots, they would be after you instantly."

He raised an eyebrow. "And it was smarter to not tell me what I was getting into?" he asked. Valerie didn't reply, and Cade pulled on his welder's mask, placing the piece of Transformium on a piece of machinery. For a few minutes, he stayed focused on his job. Then he finished what he was doing to that piece of metal and turned of the machine, taking off his mask and turning to Optimus. "Took a hell of a hit, you know. The missile just missed your power source."

Optimus nodded. "We call it out spark," he informed him. "It contains our life force... and our memories."

Cade raised an eyebrow. "We call it a soul," he replied.

For a few seconds, nobody spoke. Valerie was still leaning on Optimus, and he had his arm around her shoulder. Cade stood separately, climbing all over Optimus's Autobot body. Then Optimus spoke. "Cade, why are you willing to help me?" he asked.

He paused. "Maybe because you trust me to," he answered. "Or because you're engaged to my relative. She's one tough cookie, so if she fell in love with you, you must be doing something right."

Outside, Lucas shouted, "I'm back!" They heard him starting a conversation with Tessa.

Valerie rolled her eyes. "That's the obnoxious employee of Cade's," she informed Optimus. She made a crazy gesture, drawing a circle around her air. Optimus let out a laugh as Lucas entered the room.

Suddenly, they heard Tessa shout, "Dad!" from outside in a panicked tone. Valerie and Optimus's heads snapped up, eyes trained on the door. Then they turned to look at each other.

"You should probably hide," Valerie told him. "We don't know who it is."

Optimus nodded and gave her a gentle kiss. "Be safe," he said, and he deactivated his holoform.

Valerie turned to Cade and Lucas. "Let's go outside," she said.

They left the barn and joined Tessa in the front yard. Identical black SUV's were driving up to the house, and Valerie assumed that they were government cars. She frowned; Cade hadn't even had Optimus in the barn for that long. Her frown deepened when she felt a Transformer somewhere nearby. She couldn't tell if it was an Autobot or a Decepticon, but it didn't help her peace of mind. Concern for Optimus filled her; it was apparent that he was a big target right now.

Men climbed out of the car, and one middle-aged man with sunglasses walked up to Cade. "Mr. Yeager, my name is James Savoy," he introduced himself. "I'm a federal agent. My men and I are trying to track down an abandoned truck." Cade didn't reply, and Savoy's gaze scanned the land. "Nice spread you got here. Too bad it's for safe."

Cade glared. "Too bad," he snapped. "She's not." He gestured to his pickup truck. "That the truck you mean?"

Savoy shook his head. "Afraid not," he replied. "I got a call from someone concerned about this truck. That wasn't you."

His glare deepened. "Only thing I'm worried about is you being on my property," he told him. "You know, we got a rule about people messing with people from Texas."

Valerie snorted in laughter at that; Cade had always been fond of that phrase, and it was hilarious to see him saying it to a government agent. Unfortunately, her snort had drawn Savoy's attention to her. "Who are you?" he asked.

Her chin jutted up. "Valerie," she answered, not wanting to give her last name in case it caused Savoy to make the connection between her and the Autobots.

Savoy's eyebrow raised. "And why are you here?" he wanted to know.

She crossed her arms. "I live with Cade and Tessa," she told him.

His eyebrows raised even higher. "Why? Where are your parents?"

"Dead."

The eyebrow moved even higher. "How?"

Valerie brushed a piece of hair behind her ear. "The Battle of Chicago," she said. "They were killed by the Decepticons. And, sir, I think your eyebrow is trying to run away." Cade burst out laughing, causing Savoy to glare at him. He fell silent, but he was still grinning.

Savoy leaned forward. "And, _Valerie_ , do you know anything about that truck?"

She met his eyes defiantly. "No, I don't know what truck you're talking about," she declared defiantly.

He leaned backwards. "The kind that cost American lives," he answered. He turned to his men. "Search the property!"

Cade glared. "You don't have a warrant," he stated.

Savoy leaned forward, pointing at his face. "My face is my warrant," he replied.

Valerie let out a low whistle. "Well, then, dude, you have an _ug-ly_ warrant," she told him.

He glared at her. "You'd better learn to watch your mouth, Valerie," he warned.

She raised an eyebrow. "And if I don't?" she challenged.

"Then you deal with me," he answered threateningly.

They were interrupted by Lucas. "If you do find a truck, do we get a reward?" he asked the soldiers storming by him as they searched the property. Valerie let out a groan and muttered some choice words about Lucas.

A few minutes later, a soldier came up to Savoy. "We have a live missile in the trash," he reported.

Lucas's eyes bugged. "Live?!" he demanded. He turned to Cade accusingly. "I carried that to the trash! You old me that it was a dud, dude! I could be dead now!"

Valerie grimaced. "I wish you were," she muttered.

Cade turned to Savoy panickedly. "Look, okay, yes, I found a truck, all right?" he blurted. Valerie tensed. "I towed it back for the parts. I left it here last night. This morning, it's gone. When, where, I don't know, I swear to God. That's as much as I know about him."

She winced, and Savoy tensed. "Mr. Yeager," he said. "Excuse me. You just said 'him.'" Cade's eyes widened, and Savoy turned to his men. "Take him down."

"What?!" Cade shouted as his arms were grabbed by Savoy's men. Valerie was grabbed, too, and she tried to fight them off. She had managed to kick two of them in the nuts and plant a solid kick in one's stomach when they managed to restrain her. Tessa, meanwhile, was grabbed and yanked towards the center of the yard. "They don't know about the truck!" Cade told them desperately. "I know! Just let her go!"

Savoy sneered. "What kind of a man betrays his flesh and blood brethren for alien metal?" he asked.

Valerie might have been able to stay silent if he hadn't added that bit about alien metal. "They're not just metal!" she said angrily. "They're living, sentient beings with as much as a right to life as we do!"

He turned to her. "So Mr. Yeager's not the only one who knows about the truck," he commented. "We'll be taking you, too." His eyes narrowed. " _Valerie Hudson_." Valerie instantly tensed. "Yes, I know who you are." He turned to his men. "All right! Load up! Search the perimeter!"

"Lucas, you called, didn't you?!" Tessa accused as she was being pulled to the center of the yard.

His eyes widened. "No!" he replied. "I don't know any of these scary guys!"

Tessa started struggling to get out of the men's grips. "Oh God, you're manhandling a woman!" she shouted. "I'll kick your ass!"

Lucas, meanwhile, was being tugged towards the cars. "No! You're not taking me anywhere! I'm an American!" he protested.

Valerie glared. "We all are, you idiot!" she snapped. "Just shut up for once in your life!"

Her attention was drawn back to Cade and Tessa when Tessa was pushed to the ground. "Let her go!" Cade shouted.

Savoy slipped out a gun and aimed it at Tessa. "Now, you got ten seconds," he told Cade. "Where's the truck?"

Cade glared. "You gonna shoot my little girl?" he demanded.

He shrugged. "If I have to," he replied.

That apparently caused Cade to start panicking. "Look, I don't know. I told you everything that I know! He's gone. He left. He was in the barn, I swear to God! Just let her go!"

Savoy turned to Valerie. "Well, Mr. Yeager, you might not know anything about the truck, but I can assure you that she does," he said. "Ms. Hudson, where's the truck?"

Valerie glared at him. "If I had a gun, your brains would be scattered on the ground right now," she replied angrily.

He sighed. "We know that you're the one that he would come out of hiding to see," he continued. "We know that you two were... a little more than friends." Without warning, he turned the gun from Tessa to Valerie. "Your life or his."

Before anybody could say anything else, there was a loud crash, and everyone turned to see Optimus in his Autobot form break through the barn. He started shooting at the men. "Here I am!" he roared.

Valerie instantly took advantage of the men's distraction and knocked the men who were holding her to the ground. She slipped her Transformium out of her pocket and turned it into a gun, heading over to the tree where Cade, Tessa, and Lucas were hiding. "We need to go now," she said.

Cade glanced towards Optimus. "What about him?" he asked.

She turned to Optimus, too, but then turned away. "He can handle himself," she answered uncertainly. "We need to get out of here. Now. Let's move."

The four of them hurried away from the house, Valerie jogging backwards so that their backs weren't undefended. Her gun was out and prepared to shoot if any of the men showed any signs of coming after her and the others. However, she wasn't so certain of her aim; it had been five years since she had been in action like this.

Suddenly, there was the sound of a car driving towards them, and Valerie turned to see Shane's familiar rally racing car drive up to them. Shane threw open the door. "C'mon, hurry up!" he shouted. "Get in the car!"

Cade looked uncertain, but Valerie pushed him in. "Trust me, we're good," she said as she, Tessa, and Lucas climbed into the backseat. Too late, she realized that Tessa should be sitting in the front seat, since she was Shane's navigator.

Shane took off. "What's happening, baby?" he demanded. "Who are they?"

"It doesn't matter!" Valerie answered for Tessa. "Drive, drive! Get out of here!"


	37. Chapter 37

Shane was about to push on the gas pedal when there was a sudden sound of an explosion. Valerie's head snapped around to see missiles fly from the direction that she felt the Transformer in towards the house. The missiles hit the house, and it was destroyed, sent up in flames. Optimus used the distraction to turn into his alt mode and drive after them.

Everyone in the car recovered their wits, and Shane sped off. "Wait, why did he just call you 'baby' if you're engaged to Optimus?" Cade asked Valerie.

Valerie's jaw dropped open. "Ew!" she exclaimed. "We're not dating! That would be disgusting! No! We're friends! He was calling _her_ baby!" She pointed at Tessa.

Cade gave her a look that clearly stated that he didn't believe her. "Seriously," he said. "Who are you and who are you calling baby?"

"He's my boyfriend," Tessa answered as the same time as Shane said, "I'm her boyfriend."

Valerie winced; she wouldn't have said it like that. Sure enough, Cade tensed. "What?" he demanded. "You're not her boyfriend!"

Tessa sighed. "His name is Shane and he drives, Dad," she told him.

Lucas turned around in the backseat, peering out of the back window. "What kind of cars are those?" he asked. "They're scary."

Valerie glared at him. "Lucas, I swear, shut up right now or I'm going to shut you up," she snapped, holding up her Transformium and turning it into a Taser. "I've done this before, so don't push me." In reality, she had just watched as Simmons had tased Leo, but she hadn't exactly stopped it, either.

"You gotta try to loose them in the cornfield!" Cade told Shane, pointing at the upcoming cornfield. Shane obliged and turned onto a path that cut straight through the field.

Instantly, the ride got bumpier. Even though they were on a path, it wasn't that smooth, so the car bounced up and down. Despite the uncomfortable ride, Valerie couldn't see any of the government cars (or, as Lucas put it, scary cars) following them, and she began to think that maybe they had lost them.

But, of course, at that moment, a government car came out of the field and rammed into them.

"Crap!" Valerie shouted. "What did I tell you about watching your side, Shane?!" Shane gritted his teeth and kept driving, staying ahead of the government cars. Eventually, they reached the end of the cornfield and came upon a few houses. Shane made a sharp turn around a tree, sending up a cloud of dust. The car right behind them was blinded and rammed straight into the tree. Valerie let out a whoop. "Haha, you son of a bitch!"

A few minutes later, they were still being pursued by cars, but they had reached the town. Both Valerie and Shane relaxed a bit; this was their home turf. Valerie had been here so many times that she could walk the whole place in her sleep.

Unfortunately for Shane, relaxing caused him to work up his courage. "Mr. Yeager, this is not how I wanted us to meet, okay?" he said. "My name is Shane and I'm a completely-"

But what Shane was completely, they never found out, because Cade cut him off. "And I'm not talking to you. Drive the car."

Valerie laughed. "Oh, dude, you just got _told_!" she said happily, causing Shane to glare at her. "Well, you did! And Cade's right- you should be focusing on driving, since you almost got us _killed_ in the cornfield when you let that guy ram into us."

Shane shook his head. "Man, I don't know how I'm driving this good " he commented as he wove through traffic. "It's like today I've gone to a whole other level."

Cade glared. "Road, focus!" he snapped. "Stop talking!" Valerie bit back another chuckle as Shane turned back to the road.

Lucas fidgeted in his seat. "This may be primarily my fault," he admitted. Valerie's hand went to her Taser, and Lucas's eyes widened. "They said they were gonna bring a check! I didn't know they were gonna send a death squad!" he defended himself.

Before Valerie could either yell at him or Tase him, Shane tensed. "Hold on," he warned. Without another word, he broke through the glass front of a building. People screamed and dove out of the way of the car. Valerie resisted the urge to roll down the window and shout out, _Yeah,_ _we're_ _driving_ _a_ _car_ _through_ _a_ _building!_ _Deal_ _with_ _it!_

A few seconds later, they crashed through the exit. "We lost them," Lucas announced, causing Valerie to breathe a sigh of relief. "Good job, stranger from the cornfields." They made it to a construction sight with a giant factory in the middle of it. Somehow, Optimus and another mech were already there on the rooftops, fighting. Valerie resisted the urge to shout out to Optimus; if she did, she would distract Optimus and bring the other mech's attention to her and the others. "The scary cars are back," Lucas told them.

Valerie turned around to see that Lucas was right; tons of government cars were driving at them. "The factory," Valerie said. "We can loose them in there! Move! And watch your side!"

Without any more persuasion, Shane took off towards the factory, crashing through a fence as he did. The other cars followed. "I thought you knew how to drive this thing!" Cade shouted. "Go!"

Lucas glanced behind them. "I don't think we're gonna get that money," he stated. "Doesn't seem like it."

She held up her Taser threateningly again. "I don't know, is one of the cars made out of gold?" she demanded sarcastically. "No! So shut up already!" She turned behind them to see that there was at least a dozen cars driving after them. She had no clue how they were going to loose all of them.

Suddenly, she heard Optimus's voice from the rooftops. "Valerie!" he called. "Cade!" He lunged off of the roof and to the ground, landing in his side and effectively crushing most of the cars after them.

Shane reached the factory and turned in. "Take them upstairs!" Tessa suggested.

He nodded. "We're loosing them on the fifth floor," he added.

When they reached the fifth floor, two government cars were after them. Shane and the other cars drove neck to neck, thin pillars separating the cars. Valerie had a feeling that without them, the government cars would have tried to sandwich Shane's car in between both of theirs and crush it.

Tessa glanced panickedly at the cars. "Do that thing, Shane," she ordered. Shane nodded.

Valerie let out a groan, knowing what the thing was. "Please, not the thing," she pleaded. "I hate the thing!"

Cade looked from Valerie to Shane to Tessa with a mix of an angry and confused expression on his face. "What do you mean?" he snapped. "What thing?"

Shane sighed. "What we're about to do is gonna be kinda scary," he warned them.

Valerie scoffed. "Kinda scary?" she repeated incredulously. "Kinda scary? More like incredibly idiotically stupid and dangerous."

At that moment, the government cars started shooting at them. Valerie ducked down in her seat so that the bullets couldn't get her. "Tessa, grab my stick!" Shane said panickedly. "Grab my stick!" Valerie burst out laughing when she realized how wrong that sounded.

Cade's expression turned into one of utter disbelief. "What?" he demanded.

Shane shrugged. "She's got the best hands in the business," he stated. Valerie's laughter doubled, since she was sure now that Shane had picked his words purposely. "Ready, Tess? Pull!"

Suddenly, they made a sharp turn and flew out a ramp.

Cade's eyes widened. "No no no!" he shouted as they fell to the ground. Everyone screwed up their eyes, waiting for the inevitable crash onto the ground that would probably end their lives.

Well, everyone except for Shane. He landed the car on a ramp, so they landed comfortably and got to the ground in once piece. The same couldn't be said for the one government car that had attempted the jump; it landed nose-first on the ground.

Cade turned to Tessa as Shane slammed on the brakes. "Tessa, you're so grounded!" he snapped. Before he could continue, there was a honk, and everyone turned to see Optimus in alt mode a few yards away. Valerie breathed out a sigh of relief; she had lost track of him after he had crushed the cars that were chasing them. "Optimus," Cade said. "Move, move."

They all left the car and hurried towards Optimus. "My foot's stuck!" Lucas called, causing everyone to stop and then back to him. He was able to get himself free and started running towards them. But then Valerie noticed that the mech that was fighting Optimus was standing on the roof of a nearby building. He tossed an object to the ground.

Valerie knew it was bad before it hit the ground. "Run!" she ordered, and everyone turned towards Optimus. But at that moment, the object hit the ground and caused a giant explosion that sent debris flying everywhere. Valerie covered her face with her arm and ran blindly towards Optimus. She knew that Cade, Tessa, and Shane were safe with her, but she wasn't sure about Lucas, who was behind them. The first explosion from the mech's object caused a chain reaction of explosions, and soon it was like the explosions were chasing them.

Then the explosions stopped. Valerie reached Optimus at that moment and jumped into the drivers seat. Tessa and Shane climbed in, and Cade was in the process of doing so when Valerie caught sight of what was in the middle of the yard.

It was Lucas's charred body. Something about the explosion had caused it to stay standing, so even though Lucas was dead, his body stayed standing. "Lucas..." Valerie muttered. Even though he had been as annoying as hell (maybe more than that), he had been a part of her life for five years. It was hard to picture living a day in which she wasn't yelling at him about something or other.

Cade had paused, too, and Shane placed a hand on his arm. "C'mon," he said. "Get in. Let's go." Cade nodded and climbed in without a word.

They drove off, leaving Lucas's charred body standing alone in the middle of the yard. Valerie turned back to look at it, and when she did, it looked like it was running to catch up with them.

XXX

It was late in the day when they reached an abandoned gas station. Optimus pulled into it and opened the door, letting the four surviving humans out. Tessa turned back in the direction of the factory. "Lucas," she whispered. "We just left him. He's gone."

Optimus activated his holoform. "My deepest sympathies for the loss of your friend," he told them. Valerie walked over to him and gave him a hug. His arms wrapped around her. "We need to strategize and plan for what we're going to do next."

Shane, who hadn't seen Optimus before, looked from Optimus to Valerie. "Wait, am I missing something?" he asked. He pointed from Optimus to Valerie and back again. "What's... what's this?"

Cade shrugged. "Apparently everyone's been dating someone behind my back," he commented. "So, sorry, Lucky Charms, but I can't answer that."

Valerie sighed. "Shane, meet Optimus. Optimus, meet Shane," she introduced. "Shane, I met Optimus ten years ago when he came looking for the AllSpark and we're engaged now. Optimus, I met Shane in town five years ago, and we race together."

Optimus raised an eyebrow. "You race now?" he asked. She nodded. "Valerie...," He trailed off in a reprimanding tone.

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, I know it's dangerous, but I'm not dead, right?" she replied. "C'mon, let's strategize." She pulled him behind the gas station and left the other humans.

The instant they were out of sight of Cade and the others, Optimus pinned Valerie against the wall of the station and crashed his lips to hers with the same fervor that he had had earlier in the day. Valerie kissed him back. "Well, if this is strategizing, I think that we should strategize a lot more," Valerie said breathlessly as Optimus's lips moved from her mouth down to her neck. He found her sweet spot (underneath her jaw, right beside her pulse), causing her to tighten her grip on his shoulders. She felt him smile against her skin as he nibbled on it, causing her to let out a moan of pleasure.

Optimus's hands trailed down her sides, tracing her curves, and Valerie let out a shudder as his hands found her flesh underneath her shirt. "Optimus..." she murmured.

His lips were back on hers in an instant. "Yes?" he replied, voice full of a need that startled her.

Valerie pulled away from him. "Optimus, as much as I'd love to continue this, we need to make sure that we weren't followed," she said. "We need to make sure that we're safe."

He sighed and gave her a quick kiss. "You're right," he agreed, his unwillingness to leave obvious in his voice. "I should go." He sighed. "Five years is too long to stay away from you."

She nodded. "I know," she replied. "But you need to check if we're safe before we can relax, okay?" She took his hand and squeezed it. "We'll still be here when you come back."

Optimus let out another sigh. "Do you want to come scout with me?" he asked, obviously unwilling to let her out of his sight. Valerie shook her head, and Optimus raised an eyebrow. "Before, you wouldn't have hesitated to come and get a piece of the action."

Valerie's gaze turned towards Cade, Shane, and Tessa. Cade had just pushed Shane's arm off of Tessa and was snapping at him about touching her. "I know, Optimus," she answered. "But they took me in. They're my family now. I can't just leave them undefended." She looked back at Optimus. "You understand, right? It's not that I don't want to come with you, it's that they're important to me, too."

He nodded. "I understand," he told her, pulling away from her. "And, once again, you're right; the humans need someone to defend them, since they're unarmed and easy targets."

The two of them headed back towards the others, hand in hand. Cade still looked uncomfortable with the fact that they were engaged, but he seemed to remember that Valerie was an adult and would do what she wanted whether he liked it or not, because he only gave them an evil eye. Maybe the fact that Optimus was a giant alien robot helped.

Optimus turned to them. "Stay here until I'm sure that we weren't followed," he ordered. "We are all targets now." He turned to Valerie. "Be safe." She nodded, and he deactivated his holoform, driving away from the gas station.

Shane raised an eyebrow as they watched his retreating form. "So we're hiding out now?" he asked. "That's the plan? We're taking orders from a truck?"

Cade raised an eyebrow. "Well, you got a better idea?" he demanded.

Valerie nodded. "I honestly don't think you do, Shane," she said. "Besides, he's more than a truck. He's a living being with thoughts and feelings like ours. We've fought side by side for a while now, and I trust him, so you guys should, too." She turned to the gas station. "Anybody think that there's hot chocolate in there? I'm in the mood for hot chocolate."

The four humans headed into the gas station, debating about whether or not there would be hot chocolate in the gas station. They entered the gas station, and Valerie, who was the last person to enter, glanced behind her at the sandy road that Optimus had driven off on, wondering when he was going to come back.


	38. Chapter 38

Tessa looked up uncertainly at Cade and Shane as she turned the Christmas lights that had been laying out on and off. "Well, on the bright side, you guys met?" she said questioningly. Valerie, who was sitting next to her, had to giver her some credit for trying.

Cade glared. "Where's he from?" he asked.

Valerie answered. "Texas," she said.

He raised an eyebrow. "Texas? Where, Dublin, Texas? Shamrock, Texas?" he demanded. Nobody replied. "So why does he sound like a leprechaun?"

Shane raised an eyebrow. "You'd get your ass kicked in Ireland for saying that," he told him. Valerie scoffed.

Cade rolled his eyes. "Well, we're not in Ireland, Lucky Charms," he snapped. "We're in Texas." Valerie burst out laughing, and Cade turned to her. "Hey, you're not exactly on my good side either, Val," he reminded her. "You're the one who didn't tell anyone she engaged to an alien robot."

Valerie sighed in exasperation. "Stop being overdramatic about it, Cade," she said. "First of all, Optimus just saved all of our lives, so he's proven that he's trustworthy. Second of all, I didn't not tell anyone. He engaged right in front of my old best friend, his girlfriend, the other Autobots, a handful of soldiers, and my two guardians. So if they all approved of it, I think that you should, too."

He raised an eyebrow. "And would these guardians be those Lennox and Epps guys that you were talking about?" She nodded. For a few seconds, nobody replied. "How do you know him?" Cade finally asked, gesturing to Shane.

She hesitated, not sure if she wanted to tell Cade that she raced. Shane seemed to realize that and bailed her out. "It was one of the first days that she came down to Texas," he answered for her. "She came down to watch one of my races."

Cade, who seemed to be trying to not talk to Shane, turned to Tessa. "What do you mean, he drives? Like, for a living?" Disapproval colored his tone.

Tessa scoffed as she continued to play with the Christmas lights. "Yeah," she said. "At least he makes a living."

Valerie let out a low whistle as Cade glared. "Thank you," he snapped.

Shane spoke again, apparently sensing the rising tension levels in the room. "Look, I race rally cars," he informed Cade. "One driver. One navigator." He pointed in the direction that Tessa and Valerie were in. "Her."

Cade glared. "You'd better be pointing at Valerie," he said. Nobody replied, and he let out a groan.

Valerie decided to move the discussion away from that before Cade exploded. "He's legit, Cade," she told him. "He just got picked up by Red Bull, so that means that he's pretty good."

"And just so you know, my life savings were in that car," Shane added.

Cade let out a groan. "This is not happening," he stated.

Shane nodded. "It definitely is," he replied.

With a sigh, Cade stood up. "How old are you?" he asked Shane.

He looked a little taken aback. "Twenty," he answered uncertainly.

Cade jabbed his finger in Tessa's direction. "She's a seventeen year old girl," he said. "So we can work this two ways. One, I punch you in the mouth and you call the police on me. Two, I just call the cops on you because this... this is illegal."

Valerie stood up and slid her body between Shane and Cade. "You know what, let's all calm down here," she suggested. "Deep breaths." She paused for a second, waiting for them to take a deep breath. They didn't. "I meant now." The two of them glared at each other before grudgingly taking a deep breath. "Good. Now, Cade, calmly listen to what Shane has to say."

Shane shot her a grateful look before turning to Cade. "We're protected by the Romeo and Juliet laws," he told Cade.

Tessa nodded. "We dated for a little while. I was a sophomore and he was a senior. It's fine."

Cade glared. "No, it's not fine," he snapped.

Valerie placed a hand on his chest. "Deep breaths, Cade," she reminded him. He glared at her but took a deep breath. "Okay, Shane. Continue."

He nodded. "We're got a preexisting juvenile foundational relationship," he explained. "Statue 22.011"

Cade gave him a cross between an angry and confused look. "What?" he demanded. "Texas statue? That a real law?" Shane nodded, and Cade sighed, heading back towards his chair. He sat down in it as if a new weight was on his shoulders. "Romeo and Juliet, huh?" he repeated. The three others nodded. "You know how those two ended up?"

Tessa rolled her eyes. "In love," she answered.

"Dead," Cade corrected. He turned to Shane. "Do your parents know about this? Is your dad okay with you dating a seventeen year old girl?"

Shane shrugged. "He took off when I was five, but if I ever bump into him, I'll ask him," he answered. Valerie winced; that wasn't exactly the best way to state it, especially since he should be majorly concerned about making a good impression on Cade right now, since his first impression hadn't been that good.

Cade turned to Tessa angrily. "You know, Tessa, I trusted you," he accused.

Tessa raised an eyebrow. "To what? Never have fun, take a risk, be a normal teenager, like you?" she asked.

Valerie was about to intervene and do her best to cool down the conversation, but Cade spoke before she could. "I am your father, okay?" he snapped. "And I have been busting my ass to take care of you."

It seemed like Cade was going to continue, but apparently Tessa had had enough for the day. "Is that what you were doing when you brought home the truck?" she demanded angrily, standing up. "All you had to do was report it, and now Lucas is dead and my life is over." She started heading out of the gas station. "Thank you. You've taken real good care of me."

"Tessa..." Valerie sighed, standing up. She turned to Cade and Shane. "I'm gonna go after her." The two of them opened their mouths to protest, but Valerie held up her hand. "It makes the most sense. Shane, Cade is gonna explode if you go after her. Cade, I honestly don't think that Tessa wants to see you right now. So both of you, just... suck it up and stay here." She headed towards the door and opened it. She was halfway out when she turned around and looked back at them. "And do me a favor and don't kill each other while I'm gone, okay?"

She headed outside and found Tessa sitting on a bench that was near the gas station. "Hey," Tessa said glumly.

Valerie sat down on the bench next to her. "Hey," she replied, not wanting to bring up the subject of the argument yet. Instead, she pulled out her Transformium and started transforming it into random things. "You wanna see some of the stuff I can do with this?" she asked. "It's really cool."

Tessa frowned. "What is that thing?" she asked, gesturing to the Transformium. "I've felt a pull towards it since I first saw it five years ago. It's like I always know where it is. I don't understand it."

At Tessa's words, Valerie's eyes widened. "Crap," she cursed. "I can't believe that I didn't tell you about this until now. It just completely blew my mind. I totally forgot." Valerie grabbed Tessa's wrist and pulled her back towards the gas station. "This is gonna take a hell of a lot of explaining, so I'm only saying this once." She threw open the doors to the gas station. "Cade, Shane! I have something to tell you!"

The two guys looked up as Valerie and Tessa entered the station. "Yeah?" Shane asked.

Valerie sighed. "Okay, so I told you all about my powers, right?' she asked. "You know, like, the ability to control Transformium?" They nodded; Valerie had told Cade and Tessa when they had first found Optimus and Shane in the car ride. "So I have them because every Hudson does, right? And until now, we thought that I was the only Hudson, and I therefore am the only person with powers, but we were wrong. Cade, your wife was a Hudson, and she had powers, whether she knew it or not. And those powers... well, those powers passed to Tessa."

For a few seconds, Valerie received shocked stares from Cade, Shane, and Tessa. Then Cade nodded. "Okay," he said. "Being able to sense Transformium. I can deal with that. Well, unless there's some side effects that you're not telling us about that'll cause Tessa to start sprouting antennae."

She laughed. "No," she replied. "No antennae." Cade visibly relaxed. "But there are side effects." Cade tensed again. "Well, it's not exactly a side effect. It's more like another power. See, Hudson's have two powers- the ability to control Transformium and the ability to control Transformers."

Shane blinked. "Isn't that a little repetitive?" he asked. "Since Transformers are made out of Transformium, can't she already control Transformers?"

Valerie shook her head. "No," she answered. "See, Transformium is only allegiant to one person. For example, I can't control the Transformium that Optimus's body is made up of because it only listens to him. Tessa can't control my chunk of Transformium because it's bonded to me. So we can't control the Transformer's bodies. But this other power is different. It allows us to plant thoughts and orders in the brain of a Transformer." It seemed like Cade was about to say something, but Valerie held up her hand for silence. "I know that sounds great and all, but there's consequences for using these powers. We become extremely drained of energy; the one time I used this power, I fainted for a few minutes. It completely sapped my strength. And that's not the worst part. If we use our powers too often, our brains become destroyed. Like, utterly destroyed. Our bodies become empty shells."

Cade's expression instantly turned panicked. "Can we get it out!" he demanded. "That power's way too risky for anyone to have, much less a seventeen year old girl."

She shook her head again. "I asked that already when I first found out about this power," she told him. "We can't. Since our powers are part of our DNA, we'd die if we tried to get our powers removed. But even that's not the worst. The Cybertronians have this scale of good and bad (I still haven't figured out if it's figurative or literal) that they have to keep balanced. So if I control a Decepticon, that Decepticon has the ability to control an Autobot once. That's why I don't use that power very often."

Tessa nodded. "I want to be trained," she announced. "I want to learn how to use these... powers that I have."

Instantly, Cade shook his head. "Tessa, don't-" he started.

She cut him off. "Dad, I want to be able to defend myself instead of depending on you!" she exclaimed. "And the guys who we're running from! Don't you want to get back at them? Look at all Valerie's done to help the Autobots, Dad! I want to help, too! And it's not like I can do anything about my powers! I'm stuck with them, so I might as well do some good and use them!"

Cade threw up his arms. "Fine!" he snapped, pushing his chair back and heading outside. "Fine! I need some air!"

Shane raised an eyebrow when Cade slammed the for shut behind him. "Today's not his best day," he commented.

Valerie nodded. "You're right," she agreed. "It's not." She stood up. "Well, we might as well do some productive stuff while we're waiting for Optimus. I'm gonna go see if Cade's willing enough to check out that drone for some important info. You two, search this place. Grab everything you think we can use for supplies. Clothes, anything. And take that computer; we're gonna need it." Shane and Tessa nodded, and Valerie headed outside.

It was dark by now, so the temperature was nice and cool. Valerie headed over to Cade, who was sitting on the same bench that Tessa had been sitting on before. "Can I see that drone you snagged?" she asked. Wordlessly, Cade took it out and passed it to her. "I'm thinking that there's some important info in here. Like, if it was recording our arrest, what else has it seen? We could see what they're doing. And we might be able to figure out who attacked us." She passed it back to him. "Think you can help with that?"

He turned to her. "Somebody somewhere gave that order," he told her. "I'm going to find some fingerprints." Without another word, he stood up and headed back to the gas station. Valerie follows him, but when she was about to step into the station, she turned around and glanced at the road, hoping that Optimus was returning.

But he wasn't, so she stepped inside and closed the door behind her without another glance back.

XXX

Cade glanced up as Valerie sat down next to him. "Did you find anything good?" she asked, gesturing to the drone that he was fiddling with.

He shook his head. "No," he sighed. "Not a single thing. I mean, I figured out how to control it, but I can't access the memory chip. It's... frustrating."

Valerie placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Take it easy," she said. "We don't need that stuff right away." She frowned. "But it would be nice to get it before Optimus comes back, so we can report to him."

For a few seconds, Cade continued to fiddle with the drone, and Valerie sat and watched. Then he let out a sigh and leaned back, rubbing his eyes. "You really care for him, don't you?" he observed. "I can tell by the tone in your voice when you talk about him."

She nodded. "I do," she agreed.

He raised an eyebrow. "Do you really think that it's a good idea to fall in love with an alien?" he asked. "Especially one that the government's hunting. You could be made a target."

"Or I could be killed," Valerie added. "Or he could die, and I'd have my heart broke. Yes, Cade, I know. And I'm willing to risk it. You wanna know why? Because I truly, honestly love him." Case still didn't look convinced, and Valerie sighed. "Cade, you're hardly in a position to yell at me, since you fell in love with Emily when you were a teenager and had a kid. That's nearly as risky as what I'm doing."

He rolled his eyes. "Except there was no way that I could die," he muttered. He sighed. "Valerie, I can't tell you that you can't date Optimus, since you're not my kid and you're an adult, but I can warn you against it. Okay?" She nodded. "Meanwhile, I can say something about Tessa..."

Valerie raised an eyebrow. "What's your issue with them? she asked. "They're responsible. They won't do anything... inappropriate. Trust me; I know both of them." She stood up. "At least give them a chance, Cade. And maybe you should try dating someone, too." Without another word, she turned around and headed back to where Shane and Tessa were sitting outside.

Before she reached the door, Cade called out. "Valerie!" She turned around. "I know that they're both responsible. I just don't want to see her grow up."

Valerie fixed him with a serious look. "She's going to grow up one day," she told him. "Whether you like it or not." Then she turned and headed back outside.

XXX

About an hour later, they heard a shout of triumph from inside the gas station. Valerie jumped to her feet and hurried inside, Shane and Tessa at her heels. "What?" she demanded as she threw open the doors. "Did you find anything?"

Cade looked up at her. "Look at this," he said, and he pressed a button in the drone. Instantly, a small projection appeared. It was definitely nighttime, since it was dark, so it took a few seconds for Valerie to comprehend what the flashes were on the screen. But then she realized what was going on- the humans were hunting Autobots.

Her expression hardened as she watched Leadfoot get shot down. "Please!" he pleaded. "No! I'm an Autobot!" She turned away from the screen.

Cade noticed and gave her a concerned look. "Did you know him, too?" he asked. She nodded, and Cade placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry."

Valerie nodded. "Who did this?" she said tensely, anger obviously pouring from her.

He shrugged. "I didn't figure that out yet," he told her. "But I'll tell you when I do."

Before Valerie could reply, the door to the gas station let out a creak as it was opened. Valerie grabbed her Transformium and turned it into a gun, aiming it at whoever had walked in the door. Cade snatched up the drone and hid it behind his back. "Whoa," Optimus said, holding up his hands. "It's me."

She instantly lowered her gun and let out a sigh of relief. "Sorry," she apologized.

He nodded the noted the tense postures of everyone in the room. "Did I barge in on something important?" he asked, eyes going from Valerie to Cade to Shane to Tessa and back again.

Valerie shook her head. "Nothing important right now," she lied, knowing that if Optimus found out about Leadfoot's death, he would go in a rage that she wouldn't be able to calm him down from for a long time. "What's the plan?"

Optimus sighed, dead serious. "We're meeting up with the other Autobots," he answered.


End file.
